e  Practical  Farm  Library 


By  N.F.Hull 


5  The  Phelps  Publishing  Company  j 

|  NewYork  Springfield  Mass.  Chicago  j 


library 

OF  THE 

NIYERSITY  9F  ILLINOIS 


The  Silo  Is  a  Necessary  Adjunct  of  the  Dairy  Farm 


Making  the  Dairy  Pay 

By  N.  P.  HULL 

President  American  Dairy  Farmers *  Association ;  Lecturer  National 
Grange  Patrons  of  Husbandry 


N.  P.  Hull  and  his  brother  farm  350  acres.  Their  father  died 
when  the  author  was  four  years  of  age  and  his  brother  two.  The 
mother  rented  the  farm  for  ten  years.  Then  the  boys  worked  it 
for  four  years  and  it  was  rented  for  five  years  while  they  went  to 
college  and  studied  medicine.  After  graduation  the  young  men 
started  as  partners  to  fix  up  and  sell  the  farm,  and  they  have  been 
fixing  up  ever  since.  They  have  bought  all  the  land  surrounding  the 
original  farm,  and  have  enlarged  or  built  new  buildings.  They  run 
from  30  to  50  Holstein  cows  and  sell  whole  milk  to  a  condensery. 


THE  PHELPS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

SPRINGFIELD.  MASSACHUSETTS 

1913 


Copyright,  1913 
Phelps  Publishing  Company 
Springfield,  Mass. 


Page 


Table  of  Contents 


CHAPTER  I 

A  Word  to  Readers -  1 

CHAPTER  II 

Dairying  with  General  Farming _  5 

CHAPTER  III 

Essentials  for  Profitable  Dairying _  10 

CHAPTER  IV 

Building  a  Herd  by  Breeding  and  Selection _  12 

CHAPTER  V 

Improvement  by  Selection  and  Elimination _ _ 18 

CHAPTER  VI 

Feeding  Dairy  Cows  for  Profit _ 35 

CHAPTER  VII 

Care  of  the  Dairy  Herd - 57 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Summer  or  Winter  Dairying _ : - 63 

CHAPTER  IX 

Dairy  Barns  and  Equipment _ 65 

CHAPTER  X 

Crops  for  the  Dairy  Farm _ 71 

,  CHAPTER  XI 

Silos  and  Silage - 74 

CHAPTER  XII 

Farm  Care  of  Milk  and  Cream _ 76 

CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Outlook  for  Dairying _ 79 

ADDENDA 

By-Laws  for  Testing  Associations _ 80 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/makingdairypay00hull_0 


CHAPTER  I 

A  Word  to  Readers 


I  do  not  want  to  call  the  first  chapter  of  this  book 
an  introduction,  for  readers  usually  skip  the  introduc¬ 
tion.  I  want  this  to  be  as  much  my  introduction  to  the 
reader  as  his  to  the  things  written.  More  and  more 
each  year  the  busy  and  discriminating  reader  .endeav¬ 
ors  to  select  from  the  great  mass  of  matter  offered  not 
only  that  which  is  true,  but  that  which  is  most  practical 
for  him.  He  desires  exactly  the  sort  of  information 
that  will  give  him  the  greatest  ability  to  so  handle  his 
business  and  solve  his  problems  .as  to  economically 
accomplish  the  ends  sought. 

1  shall  not  attempt  to  make  this  work  a  new  con¬ 
tribution  to  the  science  of  dairying.  It  is  rather  a  plain 
statement  of  the  absolute  essentials  of  practical  dairy 
farming.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  exploit  new  theories 
nor  settle  disputed  questions.  Rather  shall  I  attempt 
to  set  forth  in  a  plain,  understandable  way  just  how 
I,  like  thousands  of  others  in  very  ordinary  circum¬ 
stances  and  with  limited  capital,  have  succeeded  in 
making  dairying  a  valuable  adjunct  to  my  farm  opera¬ 
tions. 


HOW  I  LEARNED  IT 

What  I  know  about  profitable  dairying  I  learned 
in  a  dairy  school  taught  by  the  dairy  cow  in  my  own 
barn.  The  many  valuable  suggestions  from  outside 
sources  have  been  tested  in  my  own  dairy  and  adopted 
or  rejected  as  results  warranted.  I  only  ask  the 
reader  who  questions  the  practical  value  of  the  facts 
stated  or  the  advice  given  in  the  following  pages  to  test 
fairly  their  value  for  himself. 


2 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


Years  of  farmers’  institute  work  and  special  dairy 
work  under  the  auspices  of  state  dairy  commissions 
and  associations,  and  in  dairy  organizations  nation 
wide  in  their  scope  have  given  me  a  splendid  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  study  country-wide  dairy  conditions.  This 
work  has  also  enabled  me  to  visit  the  dairies  and  learn 
the  methods  of  many  of  the  most  successful  dairymen 
of  this  country.  The  knowledge  thus  gained  enables 
me  to  assure  my  readers  that  the  principles  that  make 
for  profitable  dairying  in  one  section  of  the  country 
hold  good  in  every  other  section.  Likewise,  I  have 
learned  beyond  question  that  no  man  can  achieve  max¬ 
imum  profit  in  dairying  who  does  not  either  con¬ 
sciously  or  unconsciously  practice  the  essentials  out¬ 
lined  in  the  following  pages. 

SUCCESSFUL  DAIRYING  IS  PROFITABLE  DAIRYING 

Most  of  us  count  a  venture  a  success  if  it  ends  as 
we  purposed  it  should.  My  conception  of  successful 
dairying  is  that  sort  which  pays  a  fair  profit  on  the 
investment  of  time  and  money. 

I  have  seen  many  dairies  conducted,  it  seemed  to 
me,  for  the  mere  fun  of  the  game.  At  least  no  other 
result  was  apparent.  To  me  it  seems  that  to  conduct  a 
dairy  so  as  to  make  it  pay  yields  just  as  much  fun  and 
a  great  deal  more  satisfaction. 

When  a  man  puts  a  part  of  his  time  into  his  dairy 
operations  the  commercial  value  of  that  part  of  his  life 
is  determined  by  the  profit  of  his  dairy  during  that 
space  of  time.  There  is  small  excuse  for  most  of  us 
not  making  an  honest  and  intelligent  endeavor  to  get  as 
large  a  value  from  our  time  as  we  honestly  can  secure. 

Why  any  man  should  work  hard  to  grow  feed, 
milk  cows  and  take  care  of  the  product  without  seri¬ 
ously  endeavoring  to  make  his  work  pay  is  a  hard 


A  WORD  TO  READERS 


3 


question  to  answer,  yet  armies  of  men  are  wasting 
their  lives  doing  just  that  thing. 

DOES  YOUR  HERD  PAY? 

The  majority  of  dairy  .herds  in  this  country  are 
making  little  or  no  profit.  Is  your  herd  one  of  them  ? 
Can  you  answer  this  ?  A  large  proportion  of  the  cows 
kept  in  this  country  are  inherently  such  poor  stock  that 
it  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  make  them  produce 
at  a  profit.  How  many  such  cows  are  you  keeping? 
Can  you  answer? 


The  pictures  show  the  product  of  a  poor,  a  good  and  an 
exceptionally  good  dairy  cow — 120  lbs,  360  lbs  and  800  lbs 
l  espectively.  An  exhibit  at  a  western  fair. 


An  untold  number  of  inherently  good  cows  are 
not  yielding  their  owners  a  profit  because  they  have 
not  been  properly  fed  and  cared  for.  Have  you  done 
your  part  toward  enabling  your  cows  to  yield  profit¬ 
ably?  Can  you  answer? 

MONEY  TO  THE  MAN  WHO  KNOWS 

Two  young  men  were  engaged  in  dairying  in  the 
same  neighborhood.  Both  were  advised  to  study  good 
dairy  methods  and  to  know  their  business  at  least  to 
the  extent  of  ascertaining  the  individual  merit  of  their 


4 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


cows.  One  accepted  the  advice,  secured  scales  and 
Babcock  tester  at  a  small  cost  and  used  them.  The 
other  said  he  was  too  busy  and  hadn’t  time  to  fool 
with  it. 

After  three  years  the  first  young  man  was  getting 
an  average  of  250  pounds  of  butter  per  cow,  the  sec¬ 
ond  young  man  an  average  of  only  200  pounds  per 
cow.  It  required  the  proceeds  from  150  pounds  of  this 
butter  to  pay  for  the  feed  the  cows  ate.  Hence  the 
one  had  a  profit  of  100  pounds  butter  per  cow,  the  other 
of  only  50  pounds. 

The  second  young  man  thought  he  could  not  afford 
to  take  time  to  know  his  business.  He  has  come  now 
to  a  place  where  he  must  take  time.  He  must  take 
time  to  make  up  for  what  he  did  not  know  or  practice. 
He  must  take  time  to  plant  crops  and  harvest  feed  for 
his  cows  for  another  year,  milk  and  care  for  them  for 
another  year,  and  get  another  50  pounds  of  butter, 
representing  profit.  He  will  then  have  the  same  profit 
from  his  two  years’  work  that  the  first  young  man 
secured  in  one  year.  Evidently  he  was  mistaken  when 
he  concluded  he  could  not  afford  to  take  time  to  know 
his  business. 

NOTHING  TO  BRAG  ABOUT 

America  boasts  that  her  farmers  are  the  greatest 
producers  of  wealth  the  world  has  ever  seen,  yet  we 
farmers  are  producing  from  our  cows  an  average  of 
only  145  pounds  butter  a  year.  The  Danish  farmer 
produces  an  average  of  224  pounds  per  cow,  and  the 
Dutch  farmer  250  pounds.  Surely  we  have  little  rea¬ 
son  to  boast  about  our  average  dairy  production. 

This  book  is  written  for  those  who  are  willing  to 
join  in  an  effort  to  increase  the  average  production  of 
the  American  cow  and  the  profits  of  the  American 
cow  owner. 


&  I  * 
^ 

P' 


2 

* 

X 


Pi 

s  \  ^ 


and  Buildings  of  Hull  Brothers 


CHAPTER  II 


Dairying  With  General  Farming 

Practical  farmers  as  well  as  students  of  agricul¬ 
tural  production  concede  that  the  best  method  of  main¬ 
taining  the  fertility  of  our  farms  is  by  live  stock  hus¬ 
bandry.  Let  the  general  farmer  feed  out  the  roughage 
and  as  large  a  part  of  his  farm  products  as  he  profitably 
can  on  his  farm,  carefully  husbanding  the  resulting 
manures  and  returning  them  to  the  land. 

Farmers  of  past  generations,  and  too  many  of  the 
present  generation,  have  been  soil  robbers.  We  are 
now  at  a  point  where  we  must  become  soil  builders, 
or  we  shall  see  the  importance  of  agriculture  and  its 
products  gradually  dropping  to  a  lower  plane,  inevi¬ 
tably  lessening  our  national  greatness. 

CHOOSING  FARM  LIVE  STOCK 

The  general  farmer  feels  that  he  must  grow  some 
variety  of  legume,  such  as  clover,  alfalfa,  soy  beans,  or 
peas,  to  replace  economically  the  nitrogen  that  other 
crops  take  from  his  soil.  These  crops  should  be  fed 
on  the  farm,  together  with  the  corn  stover  and  other 
roughage.  Naturally  we  want  to  feed  these  crops,  rep¬ 
resenting  a  certain  part  of  our  labor  and  investment, 
to  the  animal  that  will  give  us  the  largest  return  for 
them.  That  animal,  one  year  with  another,  is  the  good 
cow . 

The  good  dairy  cow  is  the  most  economical  pro¬ 
ducer  of  human  food  of  any  animal  in  existence.  As 
time  goes  on,  and  the  problem  of  feeding  our  rapidly 
increasing  people  becomes  more  difficult,  meat  produc¬ 
tion  must  give  way  largely  to  milk  production. 


5 


6 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


The  dairy  cow  is  a  more  efficient  machine  than  is 
a  meat-producing  cow.  A  good  dairy  cow  will  pro¬ 
duce  a  pound  of  butter  from  but  little  if  any  more  feed 
than  is  required  by  a  steer  to  produce  a  pound  of 
dressed  beef.  For  some  years  past  the  farmer  has 
been  able  to  sell  the  pound  of  butter  for  about  three 
times  as  much  as  he  could  get  for  the  pound  of  dressed 
beef.  More  labor  enters  into  the  production  of  the 
butter  than  of  the  beef,  but  the  difference  is  in  no  way 
commensurate  with  the  difference  in  value  of  the 
product.  The  good  dairy  cow  will,  with  generous  and 
judicious  feeding,  yield  in  her  milk  three  times  the 
digestible  nutrients  fit  for  human  consumption  that  the 
two-year-old  steer  will  produce  from  the  same  amount 
of  feed,  used  with  equal  judgment. 

I  say  the  good  cow,  and  I  mean  just  that.  Many 
cows  are  kept  that  are  not  doing  what  I  have  claimed 
for  the  good  cow,  but  there  is  no  good  reason  why  the 
intelligent  farmer  should  keep  poor  stock  for  any  great 
length  of  time. 

DAIRY  OFFERS  CERTAIN  PROFIT 

We  plant  or  sow  our  farm  crops  at  a  certain  sea¬ 
son,  hoping  to  gather  a  liberal  harvest  at  some  future 
season.  We  are,  in  a  sense,  dealing  in  futures.  We 
must  accept  the  chances  incident  to  drought,  floods, 
heat,  cold,  insect  pests  and  plant  diseases.  These  ele¬ 
ments  of  uncertainty  we  cannot  foresee  nor  guard 
against. 

Our  ordinary  farm  animals  are  usually  fed  valua¬ 
ble  feed  until  they  reach  a  certain  age,  when  they  are 
sold.  Here  again  we  are  dealing  in  futures — legitimate 
futures,  to  be  sure,  but  often  our  profits  are  dependent 
upon  market  conditions  that  we  could  not  foresee. 


DAIRYING  WITH  GENERAL  FARMING  / 

Some  of  these  uncertainties  enter  into  dairying, 
but  many  of  them  do  not.  When  we  get  a  good  cow 
she  is  kept  in  the  herd  for  10  or  12  years.  Except  for 
a  short  period  of  rest  she  should  have  each  year  she 
is  converting  our  grain,  coarse  feeds  and  grass  into  a 
valuable  product  and  yielding  that  product  twice  each 
day. 

The  farmer  may  know,  nearly  if  not  quite,  what 
it  costs  to  feed  the  cow  and  what  values  she  returns 
for  it.  No  animal  can  vie  with  the  cow  in  yielding 
quick  and  steady  returns,  unless  it  is  the  hen,  and  she 
pays  but  once  a  day. 

On  my  farms  I  have  both  raised  and  bought  steers 
and  fed  them.  Some  years  they  have  made  a  profit 
and  some  years  a  loss.  I  have  grown  and  fed  hogs, 
usually  at  a  profit,  some  years  at  a  loss.  I  keep  sheep, 
both  wool  and  mutton  breeds.  Some  years  they  have 
not  paid.  In  all  the  years  I  have  been  keeping  a  dairy, 
however,  there  has  never  been  a  year  that  cows  did  not 
pay  a  liberal  profit. 

STEADY  CASH  RECEIPTS  INSURED 

Every  farmer  has  a  steady  demand  on  his  re¬ 
sources  in  such  forms  as  bills  for  groceries,  dry  goods, 
repairs  and  hired  help.  It  is  most  satisfactory  and  most 
economical  to  meet  these  bills  promptly  with  cash.  I 
know  of  nothing  that  comes  so  near  insuring  the  farmer 
a  steady  cash  income  throughout  the  year  as  a  good 
dairy  herd  well  managed. 

INCREASING  THE  FARM  FERTILITY 

The  fertility  of  the  farm  is  increased  by  plowing 
under  such  crops  as  clover,  peas  and  soy  beans,  and  by 
using  commercial  fertilizers.  When  crops  are  plowed 


8 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


down,  however,  and  fertilizers  bought,  all  the  farmer 
gets  from  the  use  of  his  land  and  money  is  fertilizer. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  these  crops  are  harvested  and 
fed  to  good  cows,  money  invested  in  commercial  feeds 
and  fed  to  good  cows,  and  the  manure  carefully  con¬ 
served,  the  farmer  may  get  good  pay  for  the  use  of 
his  land,  get  his  money  back  from  his  purchased  feed 
with  a  profit  and  still  have  three-fourths  of  the  original 
fertilizing  value  of  crops  and  purchased  feed  to  apply 
to  his  land.  Thousands  of  farmers  have  proved  be¬ 
yond  question  that  a  good  dairy  herd  may  make  liberal 
profits ,  at  the  same  time  increasing  the  fertility  of  the 
farm. 

IS  DAIRY  FARMING  TOO  CONFINING? 

It  is  often  asserted  that  dairying  is  confining  and 
requires  closer  application  than  most  other  lines  of 
farming.  This  is  undoubtedly  true.  Cows  must  be 
milked  twice  a  day,  and  must  be  fed  and  cared  for 
regularly  and  systematically  for  best  results.  To  some 
this  offers  a  valid  objection  against  dairying;  to  others 
it  does  not.  It  should  not  deter  the  young  farmer  who 
is  anxious  to  succeed  and  who  is  made  of  the  right 
material.  He  will  learn,  if  he  does  not  already  know 
it,  that  very  few  people  succeed  in  any  business  who 
are  not  willing  to  give  close  personal  application  to  it. 

THE  HELP  PROBLEM  IN  THE  DAIRY 

More  labor  is  required  in  dairying  than  in  other 
lines  of  animal  husbandry.  In  some  sections  hired 
men  are  averse  to  milking  cows.  In  many  instances 
the  farmers  themselves  are  to  blame  for  this  prejudice. 
Too  often  they  expect  the  help  to  work  10  hours  in  the 
field  and  then  milk  several  cows.  If  the  milking  is 


DAIRYING  WITH  GENERAL  FARMING 


9 


made  a  part  of  the  day's  work  most  men  had  as  soon 
milk  as  to  do  other  farm  work.  I  have  found  that 
dairying  has  helped  solve  the  farm  labor  problem,  as 
far  as  I  have  it  solved. 

Before  I  kept  a  dairy  I  wanted  men  to  work  about 
seven  months  of  the  year.  I  found  that  good  steady 
men  want  steady  employment.  With  a  dairy  I  am  able 
to  give  them  such  employment.  I  now  have  tenant 
houses  and  hire  married  men  by  the  year.  When  I  get 
a  good  man  I  keep  him  for  a  term  of  years  if  possible. 
On  the  whole,  the  dairy  farmer  is  not  at  a  disadvantage 
concerning  hired  help. 


CHAPTER  III 


Essentials  for  Profitable  Dairying 

By  no  means  would  I  have  readers  conclude  from 
the  foregoing  chapter  that  success  comes  to  all  who 
keep  cows.  There  is  a  decided  difference  between 
cow-keeping  and  dairying.  The  dairy  equation  may  be 
stated  briefly  thus:  The  dairy  herd  equals  the  dairy 
man .  Seldom  is  a  dairy  herd  found  that  excels  in  pro¬ 
duction  the  degree  of  wisdom  and  ambition  attained 
by  the  man  who  selects,  maintains,  and  manages  the 


herd. 


Good  cows,  generous  and  judicious  feeding  and 
proper  care  are  the  three  essential  factors  in  develop¬ 
ing  maximum  profit  in  a  dairy  herd.  They  are  essen¬ 
tial  in  every  herd  and  in  every  section  of  the  country. 
They  are  the  cornerstone  upon  which  rests  profitable 
herd  production.  The  degree  of  success  attained  by 


'FFFP'Tf 


every  dairyman  is  in  direct 
proportion  to  the  degree  in 
which  these  factors  are  ap¬ 
preciated  and  intelligently 
incorporated  into  his  plan 
of  dairy  procedure. 


MILK  $  1.95 


FEED  $  I  1  PROFIT 


The  best  herds  are  not 
gotten  together  by  chance 
nor  accident ;  they  are 
rather  the  result  of  years 
of  careful  selection  and 
breeding.  It  is  encouraging 
rather  than  otherwise  that 


Fig.  2 — Perfor 
T  wo  Herds 
Same  Creamery. 


10 


ESSENTIALS  FOR  PROFITABLE  DAIRYING 


11 


herd  of  cows  that  may  be  so  fed  and  handled  as  to 
insure  liberal  profits. 

A  few  years  ago  I  had  occasion  to  make  a  some¬ 
what  close  examination  of  dairy  conditions  about  a  cer¬ 
tain  creamery.  One  farmer  received  from  the  cream¬ 
ery  only  $22  a  cow,  which  was  a  return  of  but  66  cents 
for  each  dollar’s  worth  of  feed  consumed.  Another 
farmer  received  $79  a  cow,  a  return  of  $1.95  for  each 
dollar’s  worth  of  feed  consumed. 

Allowing  the  skim  milk,  the  calves,  and  the  manure 
to  offset  the  labor  costs  of  the  dairies,  the  one  farmer 
disposed  of  his  feed  at  a  decided  loss,  the  other  at  a 
handsome  profit.  These  farmers  lived  only  a  mile 
apart,  on  the  same  road.  The  same  creamery  handled 
the  milk  from  both  farms  and  they  received  the  same 
price  per  pound  for  butter  fat.  Why  such  a  difference 
in  results  ?  One  man  had  put  enough  intelligence  and 
painstaking  care  into  his  dairying  to  make  it  a  success ; 
the  other  had  not. 

I  believe  in  dairying,  but  I  would  advise  no  man 
to  go  into  the  business  unless  he  cares  enough  about 
success  to  be  willing  to  put  forth  intelligent  effort.  I 
am  at  a  loss  to  know  what  such  a  man  had  better  do, 
but  he  certainly  will  not  succeed  in  the  dairy.  Com¬ 
menting  on  the  results  of  a  cow  census  conducted  un¬ 
der  his  direction  and  comprising  2,163  herds  in  13  of 
our  leading  dairy  states,  Hon  W.  D.  Hoard,  the  noted 
Wisconsin  dairy  authority,  said :  “The  one  great  and 
paramount  conclusion  overtopping  all  others  is  that  a 
loss  of  profit  in  dairying  is  occasioned  in  nine  cases 
out  of  10  by  lack  of  sound  dairy  intelligence  on  the 
part  of  the  farmer  who  is  behind  the  cow.” 


CHAPTER  IV 


Building  the  Herd  by  Breeding  and 
Selection 

CHOOSING  A  BREED 

The  man  who  desires  to  build  up  a  good  dairy 
herd  should  first  select  a  breed.  In  my  judgment  this 
should  always  be  distinctly  a  dairy  breed.  Too  much 
emphasis  cannot  well  be  placed  upon  a  matter  of 
selecting  a  special-purpose  dairy  breed.  For  genera¬ 
tions,  skillful  men  have  carefully  selected,  bred,  and 
handled  certain  breeds  in  an  effort  to  improve  and  per¬ 
fect  their  milk-producing  function.  It  has  been  proved 
beyond  question  that  the  breeds  so  developed  will  pro¬ 
duce  milk  much  more  economically  than  will  a  breed 
developed  for  another  purpose  or  purposes.  Why 
should  not  the  dairy  farmer  of  today  profit  by  the  skill 
of  these  breeders  by  introducing  into  his  herd,  as 
rapidly  as  he  can,  the  inherited  milk-giving  function  of 
dairy  breeds? 

In  selecting  a  breed,  be  guided  first  by  personal 
preference,  and  second  by  the  market  for  your  product. 
In  this  country  are  four  leading  dairy  breeds,  Holstein, 
Guernsey,  Jersey  and  Ayrshire.  Any  one  of  these  in 
the  hands  of  a  competent  dairyman  will  prove  satis¬ 
factory. 

I  am  not  advising  the  beginner  to  buy  pure  bred 
cows  of  any  breed,  nor  the  farmer  who  now  has  a  herd 
of  cows  to  sell  them  and  buy  pure  breds.  Breeding  and 
selling  pure-bred  dairy  cattle  is  a  business  by  itself. 
For  the  ordinary  farm  dairy  the  high-grade  cow  is 
nearly  as  liberal  a  producer  as  the  pure  bred. 


12 


Holstein  Cow,  K.  P.  Pontiac  Lass  106812 

Champion  dairy  cow  of  the  world  with  a  record  of  44.18  lbs.  butter,  585.5  lbs.  6% 
milk  in  seven  days,  171.5  lbs.  butter  in  30  days,  427  lbs.  butter  and  6787  lbs.  milk 
in  90  days. 


Holstein  Cow,  Cream elle  Vale 

Record  1155  lbs.  butter  and  world’s  record  for  milk,  29,653.4  lbs.  in  one  year. 


BUILDING  THE  HERD  BY  BREEDING  AND  SELECTION  13 


There  are  no  more  pure-bred  dairy  cows  in  the 
country  than  needed  to  supply  the  demand  from  breed¬ 
ers.  There  are,  however,  enough  pure-bred  bulls  that 
by  a  reasonable  outlay  of  time  or  money  the  use  of 
one  may  be  secured  for  nearly  every  dairy  herd. 

Select  a  breed  and  stick  to  it.  Use  in  your  herd 
only  pure-bred  bulls  of  that  breed. 

The  improvement  made  by  several  years  of  wise 
breeding  has  often  been  nullified  by  a  mistaken  notion 
that  some  valuable  quality  could  be  introduced  by  us¬ 
ing  a  bull  of  some  other  breed.  For  instance,  men  have 
used  a  Jersey  bull  upon  high-grade  Holstein  cows,  hop¬ 
ing  that  the  heifers  from  such  mating  would  produce 
the  large  quantity  of  milk  characteristic  of  the  Hol¬ 
stein,  and  containing  the  high  fat  content  of  the  Jersey. 
Occasionally  a  good  cow  results  from  such  breeding, 
but  not  often.  More  often  the  result  is  cows  produc¬ 
ing  a  small  quantity  of  poor  milk.  When  the  first  cross 
does  bring  a  .good  individual  producer  her  heifers  are 
seldom  her  equal. 

Cross  breeding  for  meat  production  is  often  suc¬ 
cessfully  practiced.  It  is  well  understood  that  such 
an  animal  should  never  be  kept  for  breeding  purposes. 
Efforts  to  incorporate  in  one  animal  the  good  qualities 
of  all  breeds  by  a  mixture  of  the  blood  of  those  breeds 
have  always  been  disappointing.  Retain  the  heifer 
calves  from  your  best  cows,  and  if  you  have  been  wise 
in  the  selection  of  a  bull  your  herd  will  improve  from 
year  to  year. 


SELECTING  A  SIRE 

It  has  been  said  that  the  bull  is  half  the  herd.  In 
the  improvement  of  a  grade  herd  it  is  safe  to  count 
upon  the  good  bull  as  more  than  half  the  herd .  The 


14 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


rate  of  improvement  very  largely  depends  upon  the  wis¬ 
dom  exercised  in  the  selection  of  the  herd  sire. 

Breeding ,  individuality  and  prepotency  are  the 
three  major  considerations  that  should  govern  in  the 
selection  of  the  herd  bull.  The  first  great  law  of  breed¬ 
ing  is  that  like  begets  like,  or  the  likeness  of  an  ances¬ 
tor.  When  possible  to  make  a  personal  examination 
of  the  dam  of  the  bull  you  think  of  buying  or  using, 
do  not  neglect  the  opportunity.  His  daughters  will 
probably  be  like  her.  Note  her  form,  her  indicated 
strength,  constitution,  and  capacity.  Note  the  shape 
and  texture  of  her  udder,  size  and  placement  of  teats, 
shape  and  size  of  her  milk  veins  and  milk  wells.  As¬ 
certain,  if  possible,  her  actual  performance  at  the  pail 
both  as  to  quantity  and  quality.  After  this  learn  what 
you  can  about  his  sire,  and  then  his  granddams. 

When  personal  inspection  of  ancestors  is  out  of 
the  question  judgment  as  to  breeding  will  have  to  be 
based  upon  the  animal  himself  and  the  producing  rec¬ 
ord  of  his  ancestors. 

INDICATIONS  OF  MERIT 

Indications  of  individual  excellency  and  prepo¬ 
tency  are  so  interlinked  that  they  may  be  well  consid¬ 
ered  together.  First  the  bull  should  be  distinctly  mas¬ 
culine  in  appearance.  He  should  be  strong  and  of  good 
constitution,  as  indicated  by  a  large,  bright,  active  but 
not  restless  eye ;  by  a  large  heart  girth,  providing  space 
for  a  large,  strong  heart,  and  capacious  lungs.  He 
should  be  active  in  movement,  not  sluggish. 

Good  dairy  animals  must  be  able  to  digest  and 
assimilate  a  large  amount  of  food.  Ability  to  do  this 
is  indicated  by  a  strong  broad  muzzle,  well-muscled 
jaws,  long,  well-sprung  ribs,  fine,  soft  hair,  and  elastic 
skin.  Dairy  temperament  in  the  bull  is  further  in- 


BUILDING  THE  HERD  BY  BREEDING  AND  SELECTION  15 


dicated  by  a  large  prominent  spine  and  well-developed 
rudimentaries. 

A  sire  is  said  to  be  prepotent  when  he  is  able  in  a 
marked  degree  to  transmit  his  qualities  and  tempera¬ 
ment  to  his  offspring.  Hence,  prepotency  is  one  of  the 
most  desirable  attributes  of  a  good  dairy  bull.  This 
quality  can  be  fully  demonstrated  only  when  his 
daughters  come  to  producing.  Prepotency  is  usually 
found  in  a  sire  of  strong  individuality  and  is  indicated 
by  masculinity,  strength,  and  vigor. 

BREED  TO  MATURE  BULLS 

An  unprofitable  practice,  not  only  of  dairy  farm¬ 
ers  but  of  breeders,  is  to  buy  a  young  bull,  put  him  in 
service  as  soon  as  he  is  old  enough,  use  him  a  year  or 
two  and  then  sell  him  to  shipper  or  butcher.  Many 
dairy  bulls  that  might  have  been  of  untold  value  to 
their  owners  and  to  a  community  have  gone  to  the 
block  before  they  had  an  opportunity  to  demonstrate 
their  worth.  More  care  should  be  used  in  selecting 
sires,  and  when  once  put  in  service  they  should  be  kept 
until  their  get  demonstrates  their  ability.  If  their 
daughters  show  marked  merit  the  bulls  should  be  kept 
in  service  to  a  good  old  age. 

There  is  a  popular  belief  that  dairy  bulls  become 
cross  as  they  grow  old  and  are  dangerous  to  handle. 
This  is  partially  true,  but  bulls  become  ugly  largely 
through  abuse,  improper  handling  and  lack  of  exercise. 
As  long  as  the  practice  of  retiring  mature  bulls  in 
favor  of  young,  untried  ones  continues,  our  dairy  herds 
will  not  show  the  improvement  they  should. 

Inbreeding  should  be  practiced  only  to  a  very  lim¬ 
ited  extent.  Dairymen  must  introduce  new  bulls  into 
their  herd  every  two  or  three  years.  However,  ma¬ 
ture  bulls  may  be  purchased  or  exchanged  and  thereby 
good  bulls  kept  in  service. 


16 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


GOOD  BULL  PROFIT  TO  COMMUNITY 

I  have  observed  that  in  communities  where  some 
farmer  keeps  a  good  dairy  bull,  his  neighbors  often 
fail  to  improve  the  opportunity  of  securing  his  services. 
Tnis  is  a  flagrantly  shortsighted  policy.  Perhaps  no 
better  proof  of  this  can  be  offered  than  that  contained 
in  Bulletin  164  of  the  federal  department  of  agricul¬ 
ture,  which  contains  a  summary  of  the  cow  census 
taken  under  the  direction  of  Hon  W.  D.  Hoard.  This 
census  covered  the  operations  of  2,163  herds  contain¬ 
ing  28,487  cows  and  located  in  13  different  states.  I 
will  give  here  the  records  bearing  upon  the  above  point 
of  the  first  five  localities  canvassed,  which  are  fairly 
representative  of  the  whole. 

DAIRY  TYPE  MAKES  THE  MONEY 


Locality 

No. 

of  herds 

Type  of  herd 

Annual 
profit  per 
cow 

Tefferson  County,  Wis. 

76 

Dairy 

$17.53 

Jefferson  County,  Wis. 

24 

Dual  purpose 

6.67 

Five  Iowa  Counties 

17 

Dairy 

20.43 

Five  Iowa  Counties 

83 

Dual  purpose 

.54 

Five  Ohio  Counties 

39 

Dairy 

23.80 

Five  Ohio  Countie.s 

20 

Dual  purpose 

8.56 

Delaware  and  Otsego 

40 

Dairy 

8.93 

Counties,  N.  Y. 

50 

Mixed  Breeding 

3.43  Loss 

Susquehanna  Co.,  Pa. 

15 

Dairy 

20.85 

Susquehanna  Co.,  Pa. 

21 

Not  Dairy 

1.70 

These  tables  show  at  a  glance  the  superior  value 
of  cows  of  dairy  breeding.  A  summary  of  all  the  herds 
canvassed  shows  that  cows  of  dairy  type  pay  their  own¬ 
ers  $1.51  for  each  dollar’s  worth  of  feed  consumed,  in 


BUILDING  THE  HERD  BY  BREEDING  AND  SELECTION  17 


contrast  to  the  $1.06  returned  by  cows  lacking  in  dairy 
type. 

In  the  census  as  a  whole,  cows  of  good  dairy  type 
showed  an  annual  profit  more  than  eight  times  greater 
than  the  cows  lacking  dairy  type.  This  shows  that 
farmers  who  have  good  cows  get  as  much  profit  from 
their  herds  in  one  year  as  those  with  poor  cows  receive 
in  eight  years.  In  other  words,  good  cows  as  compared 
with  poor  ones  multiplied  the  value  of  the  time  their 
owner  put  into  dairying  by  eight . 

SECURING  GOO] 

When  there  is  no  good 
bull  of  your  favorite  breed 
within  driving  distance, 
some  sort  of  arrangement 
should  be  made  to  get  one. 

Individual  ownership ,  joint 
ownership  by  a  few  under 
private  agreement  and  a 
bull  association ,  are  three 
available  plans  for  securing 
one.  The  advantages  of 
individual  ownership  are 
apparent.  Where  this  seems 
out  of  the  question  a  few 
neighbors  can  join  together 
and  purchase  one.  Many 
communities  have  made 
great  strides  in  dairy  improvement  by  organizing  bull 
associations.  Plans  and  by-laws  for  such  an  associa¬ 
tion  may  be  obtained  by  writing  the  dairy  division  of 

the  department  of  agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 


DAIRY  BULL 


Fig.  3 — Result  of  Cen¬ 
sus  OF  28487  Cows  IN  2163 
Different  Herds. 


CHAPTER  V 


Improvement  by  Selection  and 
Elimination 

Every  man  who  keeps  a  herd  of  cows  for  dairy 
purposes,  be  the  herd  small  or  large,  should  remember 
that  the  value  of  the  time  he  devotes  to  his  herd  is 
very  largely  determined  by  the  dairy  excellence  of  his 
cows.  This,  in  other  words,  determines  the  volume  of 
his  profit  or  loss. 

Many  men  have  invested  in  dairy  cows  and  dairy 
equipment  and  are  putting  much  time  into  growing 
feed,  feeding,  milking  and  caring  for  their  herd,  but 
have  not  invested  in  enough  dairy  knowledge  to  enable 
them  to  get  a  profit,  or  as  large  a  profit  as  they  should, 
from  the  business. 

Others  who  have  the  knowledge  seem  not  to  real¬ 
ize  the  necessity  for  using  it.  Every  owner  of  dairy 
cows  should  adopt  some  method  of  determining  the 
producing  capacity  of  each  cow  and  then  should  keep 
in  the  herd  only  those  which  return  a  fair  profit. 

KEEP  GOOD  COWS 

Hundreds  of  times  at  institutes  and  dairy  meetings 
I  have  been  asked,  “What  kind  of  cows  shall  we  keep ?” 
I  have  always  answered,  “ Good  coivs !’  Some  cows 
have  the  natural  ability  profitably  to  convert  feed  into 
milk.  Others  have  not  that  ability,  and  no  matter  how 
judiciously  fed  and  cared  for  will  never  make  profitable 
dairy  cows.  There  is  usually  not  a  wide  difference  in 
the  profitable  butter  fat  producing  ability  of  the  best 
cows  in  the  leading  dairy  breeds,  but  there  is  a  very 


18 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  19 


wide  difference  between  the  best  and  poorest  individ¬ 
uals  in  a  herd  of  any  breed. 

At  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  at  St  Louis 
a  breed  test  was  conducted  based  upon  economy  of 
production.  The  best  Jersey  showed  something  over 
$1  more  profit  on  the  feed  consumed  than  the  best  Hol¬ 
stein,  but  there  was  over  $24  difference  between  the 
best  and  poorest  Jersey  in  the  test.  In  other  tests  cows 
from  other  breeds  have  won  highest  honors,  but  the 
results  of  all  tests  prove  that  individual  merit  wins 
rather  than  breed  excellence. 

THREE  KINDS  OF  COWS 

We  might  divide  the  cows  kept  at  present  by  the 
farmers  and  dairymen  of  this  country  into  three  classes. 
One  kind  takes  our  feed,  masticates,  digests  and  assim¬ 
ilates  it,  and  because  of  temperament,  inherited  ten¬ 
dency,  predisposition,  or  the  law  of  her  nature  converts 
a  large  part  of  it  into  milk.  This  cow  is  a  dairy  cow. 
It  is  this  kind  that  the  farmer  should  get  and  keep  for 
she  will  do  him  good  and  not  evil  all  the  days  of  her 
life. 

Another  kind  consumes  feed,  and  because  of  her 
temperament,  inherited  tendency,  or  the  law  of  her 
nature,  converts  a  large  part  of  it  into  flesh.  She  is 
a  beef  cow,  and  if  her  owner  is  looking  for  dairy  profit 
he  should  make  beef  of  her  just  as  soon  as  he  can. 
To  be  sure,  she  will  give  some  milk,  perhaps  a  good 
flow  for  a  time  after  freshening.  Her  instinct  of  ma¬ 
ternity  prompts  her  to  nurture  her  offspring,  but  if  this 
cow  is  fed  generously  as  a  dairy  cow  should  be,  instead 
of  giving  a  continuous  heavy  flow  of  milk  for  a  long 
period  she  will  shrink  in  milk  and  gain  in  flesh. 

Still  another  kind  consumes  feed  and  gives  no 
return  of  any  kind  for  it.  She  seems  neither  to  con- 


20 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


vert  it  into  milk  nor  flesh.  She  is,  of  course,  of 
no  value  as  a  cow  and  should  be  disposed  of  at  once. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  ask  the  owner  of  each  herd 
in  this  country  how  many  of  the  two  latter  kinds  of 
cows  he  has  in  his  herd.  Comparatively  few  would 
be  able  to  answer.  Few  seem  to  have  taken  any  special 

interest  in  the  matter. 
It  is  surprising  that 
this  should  be  true 
when  success  or  fail¬ 
ure  so  largely  depends 
upon  this  factor.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  last  few  years 
much  light  has  been 
thrown  on  the  matter 
of  production  by  dairy¬ 
men  who  have  kept  a 
record  of  their  herds 
and  by  cow-testing  as¬ 
sociations.  I  have  be¬ 
fore  me  many  of  these 
records. 

Manifestly  it  is 
unfair  to  compare  the  cows  of  one  herd  with 
those  of  another,  or  those  of  one  locality  with 
those  of  another,  because  conditions  and  local 
prices  vary  so  widely.  It  is,  however,  fair  to  com¬ 
pare  cows  in  the  same  herd  that  have  the  same  treat¬ 
ment,  practically  the  same  feed  and  the  same  market 
value  per  unit  of  product. 

HERD  RECORDS  FIND  THE  PROFIT 

The  poorest  cow  in  one  herd  shows  a  loss  of 
$16.89,  the  best  cow  a  profit  of  $56.12.  In  a  herd  of 
30,  comparing  only  mature  cows,  the  poorest  lacked 


#>56.12 
PROFIT 
FROM 
BEST 
COW  IN 
A 

CERTAIN 

HERD 


#16.83 

LOSS  FROM 
POOREST 
COW  IN 
SAME  HERD 

Fig.  4 — Showing  of  Two  Cows 
in  Same  Herd. 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  21 


$4.71  of  paying  for  her  feed  for  the  year.  The  best 
cow  paid  for  her  feed  and  yielded  a  profit  of  $42.47. 
In  another  herd,  one  cow  made  a  profit  of  $11.37,  and 
another  $66.80.  While  both  made  a  profit,  one  made 
nearly  six  times  as  much  as  the  other. 

In  a  Nebraska  cow-testing  association  the  best  cow 
in  a  certain  herd  gave  12,959  pounds  milk  testing  3.46% 
fat,  and  producing  448  pounds  butter  fat.  Another 
cow  in  the  same  herd 
gave  1,797  pounds  of 
milk  testing  2.82%,  pro¬ 
ducing  50  pounds  butter 
fat.  From  the  first  cow 
the  owner  made  a  profit 
of  $123.58,  and  from  the 
second  he  sustained  a 
loss  of  $13.73. 

Thousands  of  other 
records  show  in  just  as 
marked  a  degree  the 
great  difference  in  the 
ability  of  cows  to  pro¬ 
duce  at  a  profit.  There 
are  but  few  herds  of 
cows  that  do  not  show  a 
similar  variation  when 
tested  for  a  year,  unless 
they  are  herds  that  have 
been  tested  and  the  poor, 
unprofitable  cows,  and 
those  showing  low  pro¬ 
ducing  power  eliminated. 

An  observant  dairyman  is,  of  course,  able  to  detect 
a  difference  between  a  very  profitable  and  an  extremely 
unprofitable  cow.  Few  of  those,  however,  who  do  not 
test  or  keep  records  can  at  the  end  of  the  year  tell 


$11.37 

PROFIT 
FROM  ONE 
COWIN 

certain 

HERD 


$66.80 
PROFIT 
FROM 
ANOTHER 
COW  OF 
SAME 
HERD 


Fig.  5 — One  Cow  Made  Six 
Times  as  Much  Profit  as  the 
Other. 


22 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


whether  a  certain  cow  has  given  5,000  or  6,500  pounds 
of  milk  and  whether  that  milk  tested  3%  or  4%.  Such 
a  difference  may  easily  determine  whether  a  cow  is 
profitable  or  unprofitable. 

It  is  my  opinion,  based  upon  observations  of 
thousands  of  herds  kept  for  dairy  purposes,  and  from 
a  vast  amount  of  reliable  data,  that  were  the  poorest 
40%  of  the  cows  now  kept  in  farm  dairies  disposed  of, 
the  remaining  60%  would  produce  a  much  greater  ag- 


The  area  in  the  circles  represents  the  products  of  the  best  ten 
and  poorest  ten  cows  in  Wisconsin  dairy  competition. 


gregate  profit  than  is  now  obtained.  From  data  at  hand 
bearing  upon  this  point  let  me  give  the  figures  from 
one  herd  where  an  accurate  record  has  been  kept  for 
two  years.  There  were  26  cows  in  the  herd  the  first 
year.  The  whole  milk  was  sold  at  a  fair  price,  and 
these  cows  showed  an  average  profit  of  $22.93.  Even 
at  this  average  some  of  the  cows  were  unprofitable. 
Nine  of  the  poorest  were  sold  and  the  remaining  17, 
their  milk  selling  at  the  same  price  per  gallon,  made  an 
average  profit  of  $55.74.  The  owner  of  this  herd  re¬ 
ceived  $351.40  more  profit  from  his  17  best  cows  in  a 
year  than  he  received  from  his  original  26  cows  the 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  23 


year  before.  He  had  fed  and  milked  nine  fewer  cows, 
with  the  attendant  saving  of  time  and  energy. 

It  would  seem  that  when  the  dairy  farmers  of  this 
country  are  assured  that  by  keeping  fewer  but  better 
cows,  and  doing  less  work  they  can  make  more  profit, 
they  would  gladly  do  so.  On  85%  of  the  dairy  farms 
of  this  country  the  adoption  of  an  accurate  method  of 
identifying  and  eliminating  the  poorest  cows  will  as¬ 
suredly  bring  such  results. 

Simply  wanting  better  results  is  not  enough. 
Wishing  alone  never  will  accomplish  anything.  Hav¬ 
ing  the  way  pointed  out  will  never  get  the  dairy  farmer 
anywhere  unless  he  follows  the  way.  Many  dairy 
farmers  who  milk  their  own  cows  have  told  me  that 
they  know  all  about  their  cows  and  do  not  need  to 
adopt  new  and  accurate  methods  for  improvement.  A 
few  such  farmers  have  been  induced  to  join  a  cow¬ 
testing  association  or  to  test  and  keep  records  of  their 
cows.  As  a  rule  they  have  been  very  much  surprised 
at  the  records.  Not  infrequently  the  cow  they  had  con¬ 
sidered  the  best  has  proved  of  little  value,  while  others 
thought  to  be  only  medium  have  proved  to  be  their 
best.  Since  it  is  profit  we  work  for,  does  it  not  seem 
logical  to  first  find  where  we  get  our  profits  and  then 
try  to  increase  them  ? 

PICKING  OUT  THE  PAYERS 

It  is  not  enough  to  know  that  our  herd  pays  a 
profit.  We  must  know  that  each  cow  is  a  profit-pro¬ 
ducing  animal.  Why  keep  a  cow  unless  she  makes 
money?  No  man  should  be  content  to  stop  even  when 
each  cow  pays  a  profit,  but  should  so  breed  and  select 
as  to  constantly  improve  his  herd. 

Some  dairymen  have  many  fads  and  fancies,  but 
the  hard-headed  practical  business  farmer  wants  to 
know,  and  should  know,  the  value  of  the  feed  each 


24 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


FROM  POOREST 
COW  IN  CERTAIN 
NEBRASKA  HERD 

LOSS  $  1 3.73 


/ 

1 

12*959 
*  — 

A 

12,979  LBS.  MILK 
FROM  BEST  COW 
IN  SAME  NEBRASKA 
HERO 

PROFIT 

$123.58 


Fig.  6 — Profit  and  Loss  from  Cows  of  Same  Herd 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  25 


ulMSh 

1M  PROVED  CIRCUIjMA 

f:,;rfSRWNq:;MDA^S®:  i| 

&&0,  WEIGH  30  lb  ,  | 


cow  consumes  and  what  she  returns  for  it.  His  cows 
furnish  a  market  for  his  feed  right  on  his  farm;  they 
are  a  good  or  a  bad  business  proposition  just  in  pro¬ 
portion  to  the  excellence  of  the  market  they  afford. 
I  have  talked  with  many  dairy  farmers  who  seem  to 
think  it  would  require  too  much  time  and  effort  to  as¬ 
certain  the  value  of  the  feed  eaten  by 
each  cow  and  the  value  of  the  prod¬ 
uct  she  returns.  This  is  not  true. 

To  be  sure,  considerable  time 
and  effort  is  required  by  the  experi¬ 
menter,  who  must  ascertain  exact  val¬ 
ues,  and  therefore  must  weigh  all 
feed  that  the  cow  receives  and  weigh 
and  test  each  milking.  Such  exact 
work  is  not  required  on  the  part  of 
the  dairy  farmer,  who  needs  only  to 
know  exact  enough  values  for  practi¬ 
cal  results. 

If  a  dairy  farmer  observes  the 
following  instructions  in  his  prac¬ 
tice,  he  will  have  sufficient  knowl¬ 
edge  for  practical  results.  The  only 
extra  equipment  necessary  is  a 
spring  balance  scale  and  a  hand 
tester.  The  scales  cost  $1  and  the 
tester  about  $5. 

FINDING  THE  VALUE  OF  FEED 

In  winter  feeding  weigh  the  Fia  7— Success- 

hay  fed  to  individual  cows  two  or  ful  Dairying  Be- 
three  times.  The  amount  fed  from  H.NS  ^ITH  Using 
day  to  day  will  vary  a  little,  but  not  ILK  CALES‘ 
enough  to  be  material.  Likewise  weigh  the  silage  and 
other  roughage  fed.  A  few  weighings  during  winter 
will  suffice.  Feed  grain  from  a  small  measure  and 


ySSSSSZZ . 

“"Ss 


26 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


MILK  RECORD  f0»  THt  PIONTM  mmua  _ is  > 


weigh  that  measure  of  grain,  or  of  the  different  grains 
fed,  a  few  times,  and  use  these  weights  as  an  average. 

It  is  well  to  mark  above  the  stanchion  of  each  cow 
the  number  of  measures  of  grain  she  is  to  have.  In 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  27 


this  way  it  is  easy  to  ascertain  the  value  of  the  daily 
ration.  Weighing  is  done  only  as  often  as  the  ration 
is  changed. 

The  value  of  summer  pastures  must  be  estimated. 
The  value  of  any  supplementary  feed  may  be  deter¬ 
mined  as  in  winter  feeding.  This  is  certainly  not  an 
arduous  task. 


VALUE  OF  THE  PRODUCT 

To  determine  conveniently  the  value  of  the  prod¬ 
uct,  enough  milk  pails  should  be  secured  of  the  same 
weight  to  accommodate  each  milker.  The  movable 
hand  on  the  dial  of  the  scale  should  be  moved  back¬ 
ward  so  that  when  the  empty  pail  is  hung  on  the  scale, 
the  hand  will  be  at  zero.  Have  a  milk  sheet  arranged 
convenient  to  the  scale.  These  milk  sheets  may  be 
procured  from  any  dairy  supply  house,  or  heavy  paper 
can  be  so  ruled  as  to  provide  a  space  for  each  day  in 
the  month.  These  spaces  should  be  wide  enough  to 
allow  placing  the  weight  of  the  morning  milking  above 
and  the  evening  milking  below.  The  name  or  number 
of  each  cow  is  placed  at  the  left. 

I  firmly  believe  that  it  pays  from  every  viewpoint 
to  weigh  every  milking.  Weighing  one  day  a  week, 
or  once  each  10  days  and  multiplying  these  weights  by 
seven  or  10,  as  the  case  may  be,  will  give  quite  accurate 
results.  There  is  no  question,  however,  that  milkers 
take  more  interest  in  their  work,  and  do  it  more  thor¬ 
oughly  when  a  record  is  made  of  each  milking.  This 
may  not  be  true  of  all  milkers,  but  I  have  noted  that 
even  the  owners  of  herds  detect  more  quickly  varia¬ 
tions  in  the  milk  flow,  and  are  more  likely  to  remedy 
the  abuses  in  feeding  and  care  that  may  cause  such 
variations. 

It  requires  but  a  short  time  at  the  end  of  each 


28 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


month  to  total  these  sheets  and  at  the  end  of  each  year 
to  total  the  monthly  yields.  If  one  is  selling  whole 
milk  regardless  of  the  test,  the  difference  between  the 
value  of  the  feed  consumed  by  each  cow  and  the 
value  of  her  milk  tells  the  story  of  her  efficiency  as  a 
market  for  her  owner's  feed. 


If  the  milk  is  sold  on  its  test,  or  the  fat  is  made 
into  butter  either  at  the  creamery  or  on  the  farm,  an¬ 
other  element  enters  into  determining  values. 

USE  THE  BABCOCK  TESTER 

Testing  milk  with  a  Babcock  tester  is  not  a  diffi¬ 
cult  operation.  Almost  any  one  after  a  little  practice 
can  use  a  tester,  and  with  reasonable  care  secure  quite 
accurate  results.  When  there  is  a  creamery  or  a  cream- 
testing  station  in  the  neighborhood,  the  farmer  can 
usually  get  milk  samples  tested  at  very  small  cost. 


Holstein  Bull,  King  of  the  Pontiacs 

The  greatest  living  sire  of  the  breed.  Has  83  A.  R.  O.  daughters,  50  of  which  have  records  of  over 
20  lbs.  butter  in  seven  days.  Sire  of  K.  P.  Pontiac  Lass,  44.18  lbs.,  and  of  three  other  heifers  with 
records  of  over  30  lbs.  butter  in  seven  days. 


Guernsey  Bull,  Dairymaid's  Glenwood  of  Pinehurst,  10548  A.  R. 

An  excellent  type.  The  sire  of  two  advanced  register  cows  with  records  of  656  and  750  lbs.  butter 

in  a  year. 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  29 


Small  Four-Bottle 
Babcock  Tester 


When  there  is  no  such  place  near  it  is  necessary  for  the 
dairy  farmer  to  buy  a  tester  or  for  a  few  neighboring 
farmers  to  club  together  and  buy  one,  if  they  are  to  test 
the  milk  from  their  cows. 

They  are  so  inexpensive  that 
any  dairy  farmer  can  afford  to 
own  one.  Full  directions  for 
operating  come  with  the 

machine. 

Tests  should  be  made 

each  month,  or  at  most  each 

second  month.  In  taking  a 
sample  for  testing  an  equal 
amount  of  milk  should  be  taken  from  the  morning  and 
the  evening  milkings,  as  it  has  been  found  that  the  two 
milkings  often  vary  in  fat  content. 

Mix  the  milk  thoroughly  before  the  sample  is 
taken.  This  is  best  done  by  pouring  from  one  vessel 
to  another.  If  the  milk  is  so  poured  three  times,  it  will 
be  thoroughly  mixed  unless  it  has  set  until  the  cream 
is  quite  fully  separated.  A  half-pint  of  milk,  or  even 
less,  is  sufficient  for  the  sample. 

Before  filling  the  pipette  from  this  sample  see  that 
it  is  thoroughly  mixed  and  that  no  cream  adheres  to 
the  sides  of  the  vessel.  The  number  of  pounds  milk 
given  during  the  period  between  tests  multiplied  by 
the  test  gives  the  yield  of  fat  for  that  period. 

Normal  cows  vary  somewhat  in  their  yield  from 
year  to  year,  but  if  a  cow  is  in  good  condition  and  her 
yield  does  not  show  .a  fair  profit,  she  should  be  dis¬ 
posed  of  at  once,  especially  if  she  shows  a  tendency  to 
put  on  flesh. 


COW-TESTING  ASSOCIATIONS 


Individual  farmers  can  test  their  herds,  but  they 
usually  don't.  Few  dairy  farmers  will  or  do  undertake 


30 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


to  test  their  herds  although  they  may  fully  realize  the 
value  of  so  doing;  furthermore,  those  who  start  the 
work  do  not  always  keep  it  up  as  they  should.  These 
facts  lead  me  to  strongly  recommend  that  in  every  sec¬ 
tion  where  there  are  enough  cows  the  farmers  organize 
a  cow-testing  association. 


Fig.  11 — The  Tester  at  Work 
Co-operative  testing  gives  accurate  results  cheaply. 


Cow-testing  associations  were  introduced  into  this 
country  by  Mr  Helmer  Rabild,  now  with  the  depart¬ 
ment  of  agriculture  at  Washington.  The  first  associa¬ 
tion  was  organized  in  Michigan  in  1905.  At  the  close 
of  1912  there  were  118  of  these  associations  in  the 
United  States. 

The  plan  is  to  hire  a  man  to  put  in  all  or  part  of 
his  time  testing  the  cows  belonging  to  the  members  of 
the  association.  The  tester  visits  the  farm  of  each 
member  once  a  month,  weighs  the  feed  given  each  cow 
for  the  one  day  and  computes  its  value,  weighs  and 
tests  her  milk  for  the  one  day,  and  computes  its  value. 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  31 


This  one-day  record  is  taken  as  the  average  for  the 
month. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  the  tester  furnishes  the 
owner  of  the  herd  a  complete  record  of  each  cow.  A 
glance  at  this  sheet  shows  the  value  of  the  feed  con¬ 
sumed  by  the  cow  for  the  year,  the  pounds  of  milk  she 
gave,  its  test,  the  pounds  of  butter  fat  it  contained,  the 
value  of  this  fat,  what  it  cost  to  produce  a  pound  but¬ 
ter  fat  with  this  cow,  the  cost  per  100  pounds  milk, 
how  much  she  paid  for  each  dollar’s  worth  of  feed 
eaten,  and  the  net  profit  or  loss  she  made  for  her  owner. 

This  sheet  shows  the  farmer  just  what  he  ought 
to  know  about  each  of  his  cows.  The  ordinary  rule  in 
these  associations  is  for  each  member  to  pay  $1  per  cow 
tested,  board  and  lodge  the  tester  while  he  is  testing 
the  herd,  and  transport  him  to  the  home  of  the  next 
member. 

The  results  that  should  be  directly  credited  to 
these  associations  abundantly  prove  the  wisdom  of  Mr 
Rabild  and  those  associated  with  him.  As  proof,  con¬ 
sider  the  following  summary  of  results  obtained  in  the 
first  four  years’  work  of  a  Michigan  cow-testing  asso¬ 
ciation  : 


FOUR  YEARS  OF  TESTING 


No.  of  | 

cows 

Average 

pounds 

milk 

Average 

pounds 

fat 

Average 
value  of 
fat  per  lb. 

Value 
of  fat 

Average 
cost  of 
feed 

Average 

profit 

First  year 

239 

5,336 

215.0 

23.3 

cents 

$50.27 

$29.28 

$20.99 

Fourth  year 

272 

6,170 

264.5 

31.2 

cents 

$82.43 

$41.99 

$40.44 

During  these  four  years  the  value  of  the  fat  per 
pound  increased  34%,  but  the  value  of  feed  shows  43% 
increase.  The  higher  value  of  feed  was  due  partly  to 


32 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


a  rise  in  prices  and  partly  to  the  fact  that  a  heavier 
grain  ration  was  fed.  The  remarkable  showing,  con¬ 
sidering  the  number  of  cows  and  the  26  herds  in  the 
association,  was  in  net  profits,  which  nearly  doubled. 

When  this  association  was  organized,  many  farm¬ 
ers  questioned  whether  they  could  afford  to  pay  $1  per 
cow  to  have  their  herds  tested.  The  results  fully  prove 
that  they  could  not  afford  not  to.  Communities  wish¬ 
ing  to  organize  such  an  association  can  receive  assist¬ 
ance  by  writing  to  the  dairy  division  of  the  department 
of  agriculture  at  Washington,  D.  C.  The  by-laws  used 
by  several  successful  associations  are  printed  on  pages 
80  to  83. 


CONFORMATION  AS  SELECTION  GUIDE 

It  has  long  been  recognized  that  certain  functional 
capacity  in  animals  is  usually  recognizable  by  outward 
indications.  Thus  cows  with  highly  developed  milk¬ 
giving  functions  usually  indicate  such  functional  capac¬ 
ity  by  their  form,  conformation,  or  type. 

The  feeder  selects  an  animal  with  a  broad  back, 
short  limbs,  and  a  compact,  closely  ribbed  body,  be¬ 
cause  he  has  learned  that  that  conformation  of  body, 
or  that  type  of  animal,  usually  has  the  ability  to  lay 
on  flesh  quickly,  economically,  and  when  fat  sells  well. 

Following  the  same  principle,  the  wise  dairyman 
selects  cows  that  indicate  by  their  type  or  conformation 
that  they  have  the  capacity  to  produce  milk  econom¬ 
ically.  Type  is  but  an  indication  of  function,  and 
while  the  external  indications  may  be  right  the  internal 
machinery  that  does  the  work  may  not  be  operating 
to  advantage. 

We  have  all  seen  horses  with  short  backs,  long 
underlines,  sloping  shoulders,  and  other  indications  of 
speed,  that  were  not  able  to  trot  a  mile  even  in  four 
minutes.  Such  would  be  an  absolute  failure  in  a  race, 


IMPROVEMENT  BY  SELECTION  AND  ELIMINATION  33 


despite  their  conformation.  We  likewise  find  some  cows 
possessing  dairy  type  that  when  it  comes  to  the  test  of 
efficiency  prove  absolute  failures. 

Despite  the  fact  that  some  horses  of  the  speed 
type  are  failures  as  trotters,  an  intelligent  man  who 
wished  to  develop  a  racing  stable  would  not  think  of 
buying  draft  horses,  from  which  to  develop  trotters. 
He  knows  that  ability  to  go  fast  is  not  usually  asso¬ 
ciated  with  that  type. 

Guided  by  like  intelligence,  the  man  starting  a 
dairy  herd  or  adding  to  the  dairy  he  already  has  will 
select  cows  of  dairy  type.  Experience  teaches  that  it 
is  among  cows  of  that  type  that  profitable  producers 
are  usually  found. 


TRUE  DAIRY  TYPE 

In  examining  a  cow  to  determine  type,  commence 
at  the  head.  This  should  be  broad  between  the  eyes,  a 
little  dished,  spare  rather  than  fleshy,  and  should 
terminate  in  a  broad  strong  muzzle.  The  eyes  should 
be  full  and  bright,  and  the  head  strongly  coupled  to  the 
neck.  The  neck  should  be  thin  and  of  fair  length, 
the  spine  large  and  prominent  and  the  vertebrae  not 
too  close  together. 

Breadth  between  the  eyes,  a  strong  neck  coupling, 
and  a  large  spine  indicate  a  strong  nerve  system,  which 
is  necessary  for  large  dairy  production.  Large  nerve 
trunks  should  go  from  the  spine  to  the  vital  organs. 
Vertebrae  set  well  apart  indicate  that  such  is  the  case. 

The  barrel  should  be  deep  and  wide,  and  the  ribs 
sloping  from  the  spine  should  be  well  sprung.  The 
large,  deep,  broad  barrel  provides  large  thoracic  and 
abdominal  capacity,  or  a  large  factory  space  for  the 
organs  upon  which  falls  the  work  of  milk  production. 
A  restricted  thorax,  or,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  heart 
girth,  indicates  lack  of  constitution  and  strength. 


34 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


The  rump  should  carry  well  up  to  the  tail  head. 
The  hips  should  be  broad  and  the  pin  bones  wide  apart. 
This  gives  pelvic  capacity,  and  sufficient  room  between 
the  hind  legs  for  a  large  udder. 

The  udder  should  have  a  large  place  in  determin¬ 
ing  the  indicated  value  of  a  dairy  cow.  It  should  be 
large,  joined  to  the  body  far  out  in  front,  and  extend¬ 
ing  well  up  behind.  Its  tissue  should  be  glandular  and 
elastic,  so  that  when  milked  out  it  will  appear  empty. 
The  teats  should  be  a  fair  distance  apart,  one  at  nearly 
the  center  of  each  quarter  of  the  udder,  and  of  fair 
size. 

Large  veins  covering  the  outer  walls  of  the  udder, 
and  large,  tortuous,  branching  veins  extending  from 
the  udder  well  forward  and  entering  the  abdomen 
through  large  milk  wells,  indicate  that  plenty  of  blood 
is  being  carried  to  the  udder  from  which  milk  may  be 
elaborated. 

A  cow  having  all  the  above  excellent  points  will 
not  be  able  to  do  good  dairy  work  unless  she  is  in  a 
healthy  and  vigorous  condition.  General  condition  and 
vigor  are  indicated  by  a  bright,  clear  eye,  soft,  elastic 
skin,  fine,  velvety  hair,  and  a  good  carriage.  A  cow 
possessing  this  dairy  type  to  a  marked  degree,  if  in 
good  condition,  seldom  fails  to  be  a  good  producer.  It 
is  not  often  that  we  find  cows  for  sale  that  closely  ap¬ 
proach  the  ideal  dairy  type. 

While  these  points  of  excellence  should  be  known 
and  considered  in  purchasing  cows,  the  cows  should  be 
tested  nevertheless.  Their  owner  may  then  depend 
upon  facts  rather  than  probabilities. 


CHAPTER  VI 


Feeding  Dairy  (Sows  for  Profit 

The  profitable  feeding  of  dairy  cows  involves  the 
use  of  great  judgment  and  care.  Pigs  and  steers  are 
kept  on  the  farm  for  only  a  comparatively  short  time, 
when  they  are  sold  and  slaughtered.  Overtaxing  their 
digestive  powers,  for  instance,  is  not  as  serious  as  with 
a  cow  that  is  to  go  on  doing  work  for  many  years. 

The  digestive  power  of  the  cow  is  much  more 
heavily  taxed  than  that  of  the  flesh-forming  animal, 
for  the  good  cow  in  a  year  produces  in  her  milk  a 
greater  amount  of  nutrients  than  does  the  steer  in  the 
production  of  beef.  Many  cows  produce  each  year  for 
a  term  of  years  solids  in  their  milk  equal  to  their  own 
body  weight.  The  cow  must  be  supplied  in  her  feed 
with  material  for  her  own  growth,  for  sustaining  body 
temperature,  and  supplying  the  energy  for  the  vast 
amount  of  work  she  performs.  Besides  this,  she  must 
be  supplied  with  material  from  which  to  manufacture 
milk,  and  nourish  her  unborn  young. 

THE  DANGER  POINT  IN  FEEDING 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  greatest  mistake  made  by 
dairymen  in  feeding  their  cows  is  in  not  feeding 
enough.  Many  cows  that  are  underfed  receive  all  the 
feed  they  will  eat,  but  there  is  a  decided  difference  be¬ 
tween  having  a  cow  fed  and  just  filled  up.  A  cow  may 
be  given  all  the  material  she  can  consume,  but  if  from 
that  material  she  cannot  digest  a  proper  supply  of 
nutrients,  she  is  underfed.  Cows  cannot  consume 
enough  hay,  corn  stover  and  straw  to  do  good  dairy 
work.  It  requires  nearly  if  not  all  the  nutrients  that 


35 


Guernsey  Cow,  Spottswood  Daisy  Pearl  17696 

The  premier  cow  of  the  breed,  having  an  advanced  register  record  of  18,602.8  lbs.  milk  and 

957.38  lbs.  blitter  fat  in  one  year. 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


37 


outlay  of  feed  is  thus  required  from  day  to  day  to 
maintain  our  milk-making  machines,  even  though  those 
machines  are  idle. 

The  practical  farmer  knows  that  if  he  keeps  a  cow 
weighing  from  1,000  to  1,500  pounds  for  a  year,  al¬ 
though  she  gives  no  milk,  she  will  cost  him  in  feed 
from  $25  to  $50,  depending  upon  locality  and  price  of 
feed.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  has  only  the  same  cow. 


FW  Ration 

Rat/on  of  Maintenance,  Used  for  MUK  product  /on 


ThketQuarters  Ration 
Ava/fablQfor 

Rat/on  of  Ma mt e nance  Mj/H Production 


haif  Ration 

Ra  t/on  of  Ma/ntenance 

3  n 

Fig.  12 — No  Money  in  Scant  Feeding 

Manifestly,  then,  the  maintenance  ration  of  the  cow, 
as  far  as  the  dairyman  or  dairy  profit  is  concerned,  is 
a  liability. 

Were  the  dairy  cow  an  inanimate  machine,  she 
would  stop  producing  when  furnished  only  enough 
energy  to  run  her  machinery.  The  real  science  of 
profitable  dairy  feeding  would  be  then  more  quickly 
and  forcefully  understood  and  appreciated.  Because 
she  is  an  animate  machine,  however,  and  because  her 
instinct  prompts  her  to  nourish  her  young,  the  cow 
goes  on  producing  milk  though  receiving  only  a  main¬ 
tenance  ration,  or  even  less.  Of  course,  she  cannot 
do  this  indefinitely,  but  for  some  time,  in  response  to 


38 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


her  instinct,  she  will  produce  milk  by  drawing  on  the 
material  of  her  body  and  using  stored  energy  to  do 
the  work. 

Obviously,  the  dairyman  gains  but  little  from  this. 

Although  the  cow 
has  produced  milk, 
she  has  depreciated 
in  value  and  the 
nutrients  she  drew 
from  her  body  must 
be  replaced  before 
she  regains  her 
former  value.  If 
the  above  practice 
is  carried  too  far, 
she  will  probably 
never  regain  her 
former  efficiency  be- 
Fig.  13— Returns  from  Highest  cause  of  the  misuse 
and  Lowest  Producing  Cows,  Wis-  f  h  marhinerv 
consin  Cow  Competition.  her  machinery. 

Many  first-class 
dairy  cows  have  been  practically  ruined  by  this  sort 
of  abuse. 


ruCK 

/////ft/l/th  -4,'384L©5 
BUTTER  TAT 


889#  UB& 


VALUE  or  PRODUCTS 


77777771  3 


cost  or  rcco 
MEM  a  1^91^0 


22Z3 


NET  RETURNS  ■ 


23  $  1S.9Z 

BEST  COW 


Poorest  cow  1 


A  PROFIT-PRODUCING  RATION 

Let  us  suppose,  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the 
principle  of  successful  dairy  feeding,  that  it  requires 
$35  worth  of  feed  a  year  to  maintain  an  average  cow, 
not  producing.  In  taking  these  figures  I  am  in  no  way 
attempting  to  estimate  the  cost.  In  some  localities, 
with  some  cows,  this  figure  is  too  high,  while  in  other 
localities,  with  perhaps  larger  cows,  it  is  too  low. 
Whatever  the  maintenance  cost  may  be,  the  principle 
involved  is  the  same. 

Now  let  us  suppose  that  the  dairyman  provides  his 
cow  with  $45  worth  of  feed.  It  will  require  $35  worth 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


39 


of  this  to  run  her  machinery  or  to  maintain  her.  This 
leaves  $10  worth  for  that  machine  to  convert  into 
milk.  It  is  really  not  quite  that,  for  a  small  part  of  the 
extra  feed  must  be  used  to  supply  the  extra  energy 
required  to  convert  this  feed  into  milk.  From  this 
extra  $10  worth  of  feed  suppose  that  the  cow  yields, 
in  a  year,  $45  worth  of  milk.  She  has  made  this  extra 
feed  pay  for  itself  and  for  her  maintenance  ration. 

Let  us  now  suppose  that  this  cow,  instead  of  being 
given  $45  worth  of  feed,  is  allowed  $55  worth.  Again 
it  will  require  $35  worth  to  run  her  machinery.  Now, 

Full  Ration 

„  ,  used  for  Used  for 

Fatten  of  Maintenance  f\hk  Production  Body  Fa.* 

(X.  ^  C  H 


Fcpnomical  Ration 

Used  for 

Pat/on  of  Maintenance  mux  Production 


Fig.  14 — Cows  of  Low  Producing  Power  May  Be  Overfed 


however,  she  has  $20  worth  of  extra  feed  to  convert 
into  milk.  Again  she  will  use  a  part  of  this  to  supply 
the  extra  energy  required,  but  it  ought  not  to  require 
a  larger  proportion  than  was  used  in  the  first  instance. 
If  she  was  able  to  yield  $45  worth  of  milk  from  $10 
worth  of  extra  feed,  why  should  she  not  yield  as  much 
again,  or  $90  worth  of  milk,  from  double  the  amount 
of  feed,  above  cost  of  maintenance? 

If  this  proves  true,  she  would  in  the  first  instance, 
just  pay  for  her  feed.  In  the  second  she  would  pay 
for  her  feed  and  show  a  profit  of  $35.  She  did  not,  in 
the  second  instance,  consume  double  the  amount  of 
feed  eaten  in  the  first,  but  only  twice  as  much  above 
her  maintenance  ration. 


40 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


“But,”  you  ask,  “will  this,  in  practical  experience, 
prove  true,  and  by  again  increasing  the  feed  above 
maintenance  requirements  could  we  again  increase  the 
profits?”  It  will  prove  true  in  practice  if  the  cow  is 
fed  and  cared  for  as  she  should  be,  providing  she  is  a 
good  dairy  cow .  It  will  hold  true  as  feed  is  increased 
until  we  reach  the  full  producing  capacity  of  our  cow. 

It  must  be  understood  that  there  is  a  vast  differ¬ 
ence  in  cows.  When  it  comes  to  dealing  in  absolute 
figures  no  two  will  work  out  the  same.  In  consid¬ 
ering  dairy  cows  of  high  producing  capacity  the  kind 
and  quality  of  feed,  manner  of  feeding  and  the  care 
given  materially  affect  returns  per  feeding  unit. 

The  natural  cow,  under  natural  conditions,  fresh¬ 
ened  in  spring,  gave  milk  enough  to  supply  her  calf 
and  went  dry  in  autumn.  Man,  by  his  intelligence  and 
cunning,  has  developed  the  cow  until  she  now  freshens 
at  any  season  of  the  year,  gives  milk  enough  to  sup¬ 
port  her  own  and  two  or  three  other  calves,  and  milks 
continuously  for  11  months  each  year.  By  such  de¬ 
velopment,  he  has  made  of  her  an  artificial  creature, 
in  a  sense,  and  she  must  be  handled  differently  than 
her  forebears  were  handled  if  she  is  to  be  kept  up  to 
her  high  standard. 

In  my  own  dairy  practice  I  have  demonstrated  be¬ 
yond  question  that  up  to  the  limit  of  the  cow’s  capacity 
she  will  make  a  profit  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of 
digestible  nutrients  furnished  above  her  maintenance 
requirements. 

PRINCIPLE  OF  PROFITABLE  DAIRY  FEEDING 

The  principle  of  successful  dairy  feeding  is  em¬ 
bodied  in  the  following  rule :  Furnish  the  cozv  enough 
properly  balanced  digestible  nutrients  to  enable  her  to 
run  her  milk-making  machinery  up  to  its  full  normal 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


41 


capacity.  Men  who  successfully  handle  other  kinds  of 
machinery  recognize  this  principle.  What  man  who 
has  a  threshing  machine  with  a  capacity  of  1,000  bush¬ 
els  of  grain  a  day  would  think  of  restricting  his  efforts 
to  500  bushels?  He  knows  that  his  machine  will  last 
just  as  long  if  run  at  its  normal  capacity,  and  will  make 
him  more  profit.  Although  the  majority  of  cow  own¬ 
ers  have  not  seemed  to  recognize  it,  this  fact  is  equally 
true  with  milk-making  machines.  When  feed  is  cheap 
and  the  market  for  dairy  products  especially  good,  a 
herd  of  cows  may  make  a  profit  when  under-fed;  but 
when  feed  is  high,  and  dairy  products  low,  cows  can 
make  a  profit  only  when  well  fed. 

I  have  known  men  who  actually  study  how  to  make 
their  cows  get  along  with  less  feed  when  they  ought 
to  be  studying  how  to  get  them  to  consume  more. 

OVERFEEDING 

Occasionally  cows  that  are  being  fed*  to  make  phe¬ 
nomenal  records  are  overfed  to  the  extent  of  perma¬ 
nent  injury.  They  are  given  a  very  heavy  grain  ration, 
often  all  the  grain  they  can  be  induced  to  eat.  This  is 
not  done  with  an  idea  of  getting  them  to  produce  at 
full  normal  capacity,  but  away  beyond  normal  capacity. 
Cows  that  are  in  perfect  health  and  of  naturally  strong 
constitution  may  stand  a  strain  of  this  kind  without 
injury  for  some  time.  If  the  strain  is  too  hard  or 
continued  too  long,  the  health  of  the  animals  will  be 
injured  and  the  vital  forces  lowered.  In  ordinary  dairy 
practice,  this  phase  of  overfeeding  need  not  be  seri¬ 
ously  considered. 

Now  and  then  is  found  a  herd  of  cows  kept  for 
ordinary  dairy  purposes  that  are  in  a  sense  overfed. 
Such  a  herd  might  yield  a  larger  net  profit  if  less  grain 
were  fed.  A  ration  made  up  of  less  expensive  feed 
might  be  substituted,  with  equally  good  results. 


42 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


The  most  frequent  cases  of  overfeeding  are  in 
herds  where  the  cows  are  all  fed  practically  the  same 
amount  of  grain  regardless  of  their  individual  capacity 
or  the  amount  of  milk  they  yield.  No  phase  of  suc¬ 
cessful  dairy  farming  requires  more  care,  closer  obser¬ 
vation,  and  better  judgment  than  in  determining  the 
amount  and  kind  of  feed  each  cow  should  have  to  en¬ 
able  her  to  run  her  machinery  up  to  normal  capacity. 

Of  two  cows  with  much  the  same  appearance,  one, 
because  of  her  superior  inherent  ability  in  the  way  of 
dairy  temperament,  may  not  be  able  to  do  her  best  on 
less  than  15  pounds  grain  a  day,  while  the  other  may 
not  be  able  to  handle  more  than  half  that  amount  to 
the  best  advantage.  The  amount  of  nutrients  each  cow 
can  best  handle  must  be  determined  by  individual  tests. 

After  a  cow  has  freshened,  the  judicious  feeder 
will  gradually  increase  her  feed,  especially  the  grain, 
and  see  that  the  per  cent  of  protein  in  the  feed  in¬ 
creases  as  the  milk  flow  increases.  Results  should  be 
watched  carefully,  and  the  grain  ration  increased  until 
the  increase  in  milk  no  longer  pays  for  the  increased 
ration.  When  this  is  reached,  drop  back  to  the  point 
where  the  increase  did  show  a  profit.  You  have  gone 
beyond  the  point  of  greatest  profit  in  the  dairy  ration 
when  the  cow  ceases  to  give  more  milk  and  begins  to 
lay  on  flesh.  When  a  dairy  cow  gets  fleshy,  at  least 
before  the  latter  part  of  her  lactation  period,  she  is 
converting  too  much  of  her  owner's  feed  into  cheap 
cow  beef.  From  a  practical  dairy  standpoint  she  is 
being  overfed. 

I  am  satisfied  that  where  one  herd  of  cows  are 
overfed  in  the  United  States,  7 5  herds  are  underfed. 
Cows  may  be  given  more  feed  than  they  can  consume 
and  still  be  underfed  if  that  feed  does  not  furnish 
enough  protein  to  enable  them  to  produce  the  maximum 
flow  of  milk. 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


43 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS 

Profitable  dairy  farming  depends  largely  upon 
feeding  a  cow  so  she  will  do  her  best.  To  be  so  fed 
requires  that  she  shall  not  only  have  enough  digestible 
nutrients,  but  that  they  shall  be  of  such  kind  and 
variety  and  so  fed  as  to  stimulate  her  appetite.  I  give 
here  certain  rules  of  feeding  that  I  believe  to  be  essen¬ 
tial  for  best  results.  Give  the  dairy  coze  a  variety  of 
palatable  feeds.  Feed  regularly  a  balanced  ration  con¬ 
taining  some  succulent  feed ,  and  keep  the  mangers  and 
surroundings  clean. 

VARIETY  IN  DAIRY  FEEDS 

Any  animal  will  do  better  on  a  variety  of  feeds 
than  on  one  or  two.  Different  feeds  contain  the  ele¬ 
ments  of  nutrition  in  different  proportions.  For  in¬ 
stance,  wheat  bran  has  in  its  composition  considerable 
mineral  matter.  Cottonseed  meal  has  but  little.  Dif¬ 
ferent  feeds,  of  course,  taste  and  smell  differently  to 
the  cow,  and  a  change  stimulates  the  appetite  and  aids 
digestion. 

If  any  one  is  inclined  to  think  that  variety  is  not 
a  valuable  attribute  of  an  animal’s  ration,  let  him 
try  living  on  meat  and  potatoes  alone  for  a  season. 
Clover  and  alfalfa  hay,  pea  and  oat  hay,  corn  stover, 
corn  silage,  and  sugar  beets,  mangels  or  carrots,  with 
two  or  three  different  kinds  of  grain,  furnish  a  fair 
variety,  and  if  properly  combined  make  a  good  ration. 

PALATABLE  FEED  A  NECESSITY 

The  longer  I  feed  cows  the  more  firmly  I  believe 
that  there  is  no  attribute  of  a  dairy  ration  of  greater 
practical  value  than  palatability.  A  cow  or  any  other 
animal  will  eat  more  feed  that  tastes  good  than  of 
feed  less  palatable.  Feed  that  the  cow  relishes  she 


44 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


digests  better.  Feeds  that  taste  good  to  an  animal 
stimulate  the  nerves  controlling  the  glands  that  secrete 
the  digestive  juices,  aiding  digestion. 

Chemists  tell  us  that  a  corn  crop  converted  into 
silage  will  not  contain  much  more  of  nutrients  than  the 
same  crop  field  cured.  The  practical  dairyman  knows, 
however,  that  his  cows  make  a  great  deal  more  milk 
from  the  crop  as  silage  than  when  field  cured.  Part 
of  this  difference  is  accounted  for  by  the  succulent 
nature  of  the  silage,  but  I  am  satisfied  that  one  of  the 
greatest  advantages  of  silage  is  its  increased  palata- 
bility.  Any  stockman  who  sees  a  herd  of  cows  eating 
good  silage  will  feel  that  he  would  like  to  have  silage 
for  his  own  cows.  Nothing  pleases  a  stockman  better 
than  to  see  his  animals  take  hold  of  f  eed  as  though  they 
enjoyed  it. 


SECURING  GOOD  FEED 

Palatable  cow  feed ,  as  a  rule,  does  not  happen  ex¬ 
cept  in  the  form  of  natural  grass  pasture,  but  rather 
comes  from  wisdom  and  care  in  preparation .  A  blind 
man  who  knows  anything  about  hay  can  judge  quality 
of  alfalfa  and  clover  hay  by  smelling  it.  If  it  has  the 
right  aroma,  he  knows  it  must  have  been  cut  before  it 
was  too  ripe  and  properly  cured,  for  hay  of  high  qual¬ 
ity  cannot  be  secured  in  any  other  way.  A  cow  may 
eat  sour  or  partly  spoiled  silage  if  forced  to,  but  she 
should  not  be  compelled  to  do  so.  Good  silage  can 
be  secured  only  from  corn  cut  about  the  time  it  comes 
to  maturity,  and  stored  in  an  air-tight  silo.  Musty  and 
moldy  grain  can  be  gotten  rid  of  by  forcing  cows  to 
eat  it,  but  cows  cannot  be  swindled  into  paying  a  good 
price  for  worthless  feed. 

In  actual  farm  practice,  we  are,  of  course,  some¬ 
times  unable  to  secure  our  cow  feeds  in  as  good  con¬ 
dition  as  we  would  like.  Sometimes  a  dairyman  may 


World's  Record  Jersey  Cow,  Jacob  a  Irene  146643 

A  famous  cow  with  a  record  of  69.8  lbs.  milk  in  one  day,  17,253.2  lbs.  in  one  year,  31,508.9  lbs.  in  two 
years;  29.3  lbs.  butter  in  seven  days,  1121.13  lbs.  in  one  year,  2053  lbs.  in  two  years.  Photo  in  her 
15th  year. 


World's  Champion  Jersey  Cow,  Sophie  19th  of  Hood  Farm 

She  has  given  on  authenticated  test,  in  four  years,  with  first  four  calves,  46,669  lbs. 
6  oz.  milk,  3253  lbs.  8  oz.  butter.  With  fifth  calf,  in  four  months  and  11  days,  7443  lbs. 
8  oz.  milk,  488%  lbs.  butter.  Champion  cow  1910,  Champion  and  Grand  Champion  Au¬ 
thenticated  Test  cow  1912. 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


45 


be  forced  to  feed  timothy  hay  and  grains  that  are  not 
first  class.  If  this  is  the  case,  he  should  by  no  means 
condemn  his  cows  if  they  do  not  pay  a  high  profit. 

A  BALANCED  RATION 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  about  a  balanced 
ration.  Some  of  it  is  understandable  to  the  ordinary 
dairy  farmer  and  some  not.  Science  has  done  a  great 
work  in  enabling  us  to  know  how  to  balance  a  ration. 
The  reason  for  balancing  a  cow’s  ration  after  we  know 
how  is  just  a  matter  of  plain,  ordinary  common  sense. 
Balancing  a  cow’s  ration  means  no  more  nor  less  than 
furnishing  her  with  just  the  material  from  which  her 
milk  is  made,  and  her  body  and  energy  sustained,  fur¬ 
nishing  such  materials  in  the  proportion  needed. 

Nature  provides  .every  cow  with  a  formula  for 
making  milk,  and  as  long  as  the  cow  remains  normal 
she  will  produce  milk  after  this  formula.  Suppose 
this  formula  for  a  certain  cow  calls  for  milk  contain¬ 
ing  3.5%  fat,  3.6%  casein  and  albumen,  4.8%  milk 
sugar,  .7%  ash,  and  87.4%  water.  Suppose  this  cow 
is  giving  50  pounds  milk  a  day  and  weighs  1,200 
pounds.  To  supply  the  necessary  material  from  which 
to  make  this  milk  and  run  her  machinery,  she  must 
have  each  day  about  3  pounds  digestible  protein,  18.25 
pounds  digestible  carbohydrates  and  .85  pound  digesti¬ 
ble  fat. 

To  supply  the  required  nutrients,  feed  40  pounds 
corn  silage,  10  pounds  clover  hay,  15  pounds  corn 
stover,  1  pound  oats,  3  pounds  corn,  6  pounds  dried 
brewers’  grain,  and  2  pounds  linseed  meal. 

Instead  of  feeding  this  ration,  suppose  we  feed  5 
pounds  more  corn  meal,  only  3  pounds  dried  brewers’ 
grain,  and  no  linseed  meal.  By  so  doing  we  would 
lower  the  cost  of  our  ration,  by  perhaps  three  cents,  but 
with  what  ultimate  result?  The  ration  substituted  lacks 


46 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


half  a  pound  of  furnishing  the  digestible  protein  the 
cow  must  have  to  produce  50  pounds  milk.  It  will  fur¬ 
nish  enough  protein  to  maintain  the  cow  and  enable 
her  to  make  39  pounds  milk,  and  her  milk  must  shrink 
to  this  figure  if  we  continue  the  latter  ration. 

If  milk  is  worth  only  one  cent  a  pound,  we  have 
lost  11  cents  worth  of  milk  to  save  three  cents  worth 
of  feed.  The  milk  will  probably  be  worth  not  less  than 
\y2  cents  a  pound,  and  in  this  case  we  lose  1 3*4  cents 
a  day.  We  make  34%  less  profit  on  the  feed  con¬ 
sumed  by  our  failure  to  give  the  cow  enough  protein. 

Protein  is  the  highest  priced  element,  and  the  one 
most  likely  to  be  lacking  in  a  ration  made  up  wholly 
or  largely  of  home-grown  material.  Protein  is  the 
part  of  feeds  that  contains  nitrogen.  It  is  the  element 
from  which  the  cow  must  obtain  the  nitrogen  she  re¬ 
quires  for  the  casein  and  albumen  in  her  milk. 

All  natural  feeds  contain  protein,  but  only  a  few 
of  our  ordinary  farm  feeds  contain  as  much  as  is 
required  by  the  cow  giving  a  good  flow  of  milk.  Hence 
if  these  ordinary  home-grown  feeds  alone  are  fed  to  our 
cow  and  enough  furnished  to  supply  her  with  the  pro¬ 
tein  required  for  large  production,  she  will  be  compelled 
to  consume  more  of  the  other  nutrients  than  she  re¬ 
quires.  This  excess  of  nutrients  will  be  largely  wasted. 

Nearly  all  cow  feeds  contain  enough  ash  for  the 
cow's  requirement.  Carbohydrates  are  a  class  of  nutri¬ 
ents  rich  in  carbon.  These  with  the  fats,  which  are 
also  rich  in  carbon,  furnish  the  material  from  which 
she  secures  the  fat  and  the  sugar  of  her  milk. 

When  the  ration  contains  just  the  amount  of 
digestible  protein  the  cow  requires  to  maintain  her  and 
furnish  material  for  the  albumen  and  casein  of  the  milk, 
and  just  the  amount  of  carbohydrates  and  fat  she  re¬ 
quires  for  maintenance  and  for  supplying  material  for 
the  fat  and  sugar  in  her  milk,  the  ration  is  balanced. 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


47 


It  should  be  readily  apparent  to  every  dairy  farmer 
that  such  a  ration  is  of  greatest  economy  and  profit. 
There  may  have  been  a  time,  when  home  grown  feeds 
were  very  cheap,  that  the  dairy  farmer  could  better 
afford  to  waste  some  carbohydrates  than  to  buy  pro¬ 
tein  to  balance  his  ration.  If  that  were  ever  true,  it  is 
not  now  in  any  section  of  the  country  with  which  I  am 
acquainted. 


BALANCING  A  RATION 

It  has  been  learned  by  those  who  have  made  long 
and  exhaustive  studies  of  the  matter  that  a  good  cow 
on  full  milk  requires  for  maintenance  and  milk  flow 
from  five  to  six  times  as  much  digestible  carbohydrates 
and  fat  in  her  ration  as  digestible  protein.  This  rela¬ 
tion  between  digestible  protein  and  digestible  carbohy¬ 
drates  and  fat  in  a  ration  is  called  its  “nutritive  ratio.” 

It  has  been  found  that  one  part  digestible  fat  is 
equal  in  feeding  value  to  2.4  parts  digestible  carbo¬ 
hydrates.  So,  having  given  the  digestible  nutrients  in 
a  ration,  multiply  the  amount  of  fat  by  2.4,  add  this  to 
the  carbohydrates,  and  divide  the  sum  of  the  two  by 
the  amount  of  protein.  The  nutritive  ratio  of  this 
ration  will  be  as  one  is  to  the  quotient.  For  example, 
a  ration  contains  two  pounds  digestible  protein,  11.5 
pounds  digestible  carbohydrates,  and  .5  pound  digesti¬ 
ble  fat.  .5X2.4=1.20+11.5=12.70=2=6.35.  Nutri¬ 
tive  ratio=l :  6.35.  This  computation  shows  that  in 
the  above  ration  there  are  practically  6.35  pounds  car¬ 
bonaceous  food  to  each  pound  protein. 

Before  we  can  compute  a  balanced  ration  we  must 
know  the  amounts  of  the  different  digestible  nutrients 
in  our  feeds.  To  assist  our  readers  in  compounding 
their  rations,  a  table  is  here  inserted,  showing  such 
nutrients  in  the  more  common  dairy  feeds.  These  fig- 


48 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


ures  are  taken  from  “Henry’s  Feeds  and  Feeding,”  the 
standard  work  on  this  subject. 


DIGESTIBLE  NUTRIENTS  IN  DIFFERENT  FEEDS 


Name  of  feed 

Dry 

matter  in 
100  lbs. 

Pounds  digestible  nutrients 
in  100  pounds 

Protein 

Carbohy¬ 

drates 

Fat 

Red  clover  hay _ 

84.7 

7.1 

37.8 

1.8 

Alfalfa  hay_  _ 

91.9 

10.5 

40.5 

0.9 

Timothy  hay,  all  analyses 

86.8 

2.8 

42.4 

1.3 

Oathay___  ______  ___ 

86.0 

4.7 

36.7 

1.7 

Cowpea  hay__  ___  _  _  ___ 

89.5 

9.2 

39.3 

1.3 

Fodder  corn,  field  cured 

ears  remaining  on  stalk.  _ 

57.8 

2.5 

34.6 

1.2 

Corn  stover _ 

59.5 

1.4 

31.2 

0.7 

Oat  straw _ _ 

90.8 

1.3 

39.5 

0.8 

Wheat  straw _ _ _ 

90.4 

0.8 

35.2 

0.4 

Corn  silage _ 

26.4 

0.4 

14.2 

0.7 

Corn,  dent  _ _  _ 

89.4 

7.8 

66.8 

4.3 

Sweet  corn, _ 

91.2 

8.8 

63.7 

7.0 

Oats _ 

89.6 

8.8 

49.2 

4.3 

Barley _ _ _  _ 

89.2 

8.4 

65.3 

1.6 

Corn  and  cob  meal  _ _ 

84.9 

4.4 

60.0 

2.9 

Canada  field  peas  ___  ___  _ 

85.0 

19.7 

49.3 

0.4 

Wheat  bran _  ___ 

88.1 

11.9 

42.0 

2.5 

Wheat  middlings  (shorts)  _ 

88.8 

13.0 

45.7 

4.5 

Buckwheat  middlings  __  _ 

87.2 

22.7 

37.5 

6.1 

Gluten  meal _  __ 

90.5 

29.7 

42.5 

6.1 

Gluten  feed _  _ 

90.8 

21.3 

52.8 

2.9 

Dried  brewers’  grains _ 

91.3 

20.0 

32.2 

6.0 

Linseed  meal,  old  process  _ 

90.2 

30.2 

32.0 

6.9 

Cottonseed  meal  _ _ 

93.0 

37.6 

21.4 

9.6 

Sugar  beets _ 

13.5 

1.3 

9.8 

0.1 

Mangels _  _ _ 

9.1 

1.0 

5.5 

0.2 

Carrots _  _ 

11.4 

0.8 

%  7.7 

0.3 

PROFITABLE  CROPS  FOR  DAIRY  FEED 

Because  of  the  large  amount  of  first-class  cow 
feed  it  produces  per  acre  in  nearly  all  sections  of  this 
country,  corn  will  probably  continue  to  be  a  large  feed 
factor  in  most  dairy  sections.  Corn  is  by  far  the  best 
crop  for  silage,  and  a  silo  is  almost  indispensable  on  a 
dairy  farm.  The  corn  plant  is  high  in  carbohydrates 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


49 


and  low  in  protein.  The  nutritive  ratio  of  the  whole 
plant,  stalk  and  ear  together,  is  about  1  to  14,  and  of 
the  grain  1  to  9.7.  After  corn,  clover  hay  is  probably 
the  most  universal  cow  feed.  This  in  itself  is  about 
properly  balanced.  Its  nutritive  ratio  is  1  to  5.9.  If 
the  bulk  of  the  ration  is  made  up  of  the  corn  plant  and 
clover  hay  some  concentrated  feed  high  in  protein 
should  be  given  to  make  up  for  the  deficiency  of  that 
element  in  the  corn  plant. 

NARROW  AND  WIDE  RATIONS 

Rations  containing  a  relatively  large  proportion  of 
protein  are  called  narrow.  Those  containing  a  rela¬ 
tively  large  proportion  of  carbohydrates  are  called 
wide.  Different  experimenters  have  reached  somewhat 
different  conclusions  as  to  the  relative  amounts  of  pro¬ 
tein  and  carbohydrates  a  dairy  ration  should  contain 
for  the  most  economical  and  efficient  feeding  of  cows 
of  different  weights,  and  giving  varying  amounts  of 
milk.  The  first  standard  generally  accepted  in  this 
country  was  a  German  standard  known  as  the  Wolff- 
Lehmann.  This  standard  called  for  quite  a  narrow 
ration.  According  to  it  the  requirements  of  a  1,000- 
pound  cow  when  giving  certain  amounts  of  milk  are  as 
follows : 


THE  GERMAN  FEEDING  STANDARD 


Digestible  Nutrients 

Nutritive 

ratio 

Dry 

matter 

Protein 

Carbohy¬ 

drates 

4-> 

cj 

When  giving  11  lbs.  milk 

25.0 

1.6 

10  0 

0.3 

1:6.7 

When  giving  16.6  lbs.  milk 

27.0 

2.0 

11.0 

0.4 

1:  6.0 

When  giving  22  lbs.  milk 

29.0 

2.5 

13.0 

0.5 

1:  5.7 

When  giving  27.5  lbs.  milk 

32.0 

3.3 

13.0 

0.8 

1:  4.5 

50 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


The  conclusions  reached  by  American  investiga¬ 
tors  seem  generally  to  agree  that  a  ration  somewhat 
wider  will  prove  as  efficient  and  more  economical. 
Prof  T.  L.  Haecker  of  Minnesota,  who  has  given  much 
time  and  study  to  the  matter  of  American  dairy  rations, 
gives  us  the  amount  of  digestible  nutrients  required  to 
produce  a  pound  of  milk  of  given  test.  The  follow¬ 
ing  table  is  for  mature  cows : 

HAECKER's  AMERICAN  FEEDING  STANDARD 


Maintenance  requirements  per 

Protein 

Carbohy¬ 

Fat 

100  pounds  live  weight 

0.07  lbs. 

drates 
0.7  lbs. 

0.01  lbs. 

For  each  1  lb.  milk  testing  3  %  add 
“  1  “  “  3.5%  “ 

0.04 

0  19 

0.015 

0.042 

0.21 

0.016 

“  1  “  “4  %  “ 

0.047 

0.23 

0.018 

“  1  “  “  4.5%  “ 

0.049 

0.26 

0.02 

“  1  “  “5  %  “ 

0.051 

0.27 

0.021 

“  1  “  “  5.5%  “ 

0.054 

0.29 

0.022 

“  1  “  “  6  %  “ 

0.057 

0.031 

0.024 

Knowing  the  weight  of  the  cow,  and  the  test  of 
her  milk,  by  referring  to  the  above  table  and  to  the 
preceding  table  showing  the  digestible  nutrients  in  our 
ordinary  dairy  feeds  the  farmer  can  compound  a  ration 
that  should  closely  meet  the  requirements  according 
to  Prof  Haecker. 

My  own  experience  indicates  a  somewhat  nar¬ 
rower  ration  than  suggested  by  the  above  table  as  most 
profitable.  It  is  safe  to  assert  that  dairy  cows  should 
not  receive  a  wider  ration  than  that  prescribed  by  the 
Haecker  standard,  while  often  it  will  be  of  advantage 
to  give  more  protein  than  the  table  calls  for. 

RELATION  OF  GRAIN  TO  ROUGHAGE 

A  ration  should  not  only  be  balanced  as  to  nutri¬ 
ents,  but  there  should  also  be  a  certain  balance  between 


Jersey  Bull,  Raleigh's  Fairy  Boy 

Considered  by  many  judges  as  the  greatest  dairy  and  show  hull  living.  Register  of  Merit  sire,  class  1 

Score  97.6  points 


Ayrshire  Bull,  Beuchan  Peter  Pan  12971 
Grand  champion  over  Great  Britain  and  America. 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


51 


the  amounts  of  grain  and  roughage  fed.  This  rela¬ 
tion  differs  with  the  capabilities  of  different  cows,  the 
kind  of  roughage  fed  and  the  yield  of  milk.  All  cows 
should  have  enough  roughage  to  properly  distend  the 
abdomen,  and  with  this  enough  grain  to  furnish  the 
nutrients  required.  Perhaps  a  fair  general  average 
for  cows  in  full  milk  would  be  to  furnish  three-fifths 
of  the  digestible  nutrients  in  the  roughage,  and  two- 
fifths  in  the  grain.  This  ration  will  be  varied  by  the 
judicious  feeder  to  meet  the  individual  requirements  of 
his  cows. 


SHALL  WE  GROW  PROTEIN  OR  BUY  IT  ? 

As  a  general  principle  we  should  grow  our  feed. 
If,  however,  we  are  equipped  to  grow  some  cash  crop, 
and  our  soil  is  especially  fitted  for  it,  it  is  often  wise  to 
grow  it  and  then  buy  the  needed  protein  feeds.  In 
many  sections  the  soil  and  climate  are  not  adapted  to 
growing  grains  rich  in  protein.  If  a  dairy  farmer  can 
grow  a  crop  the  proceeds  of  which  will  buy  more  pro¬ 
tein  than  he  could  raise  on  the  field,  it  is  good  busi¬ 
ness  to  do  so.  In  some  sections,  Canada  field  peas  or 
peas  sown  with  oats  can  be  grown  successfully.  If  so, 
they  make  a  very  good  protein  feed.  In  other  sections 
the  cowpea  and  soy  bean  may  be  used.  Either  clover 
or  alfalfa  or  both  should  be  grown  on  every  dairy  farm. 
Good  alfalfa  hay  is  a  wonderful  dairy  feed ,  and  is  des¬ 
tined  to  accomplish  great  things  for  the  dairy  farmer. 

PROTEIN  IN  PROFITABLE  FORM 

Dairy  farmers  can  usually  procure  protein  most 
cheaply  by  purchasing  the  by-products  of  some  indus¬ 
try.  Such  by-products  as  bran,  middlings,  gluten  meal, 
gluten  feed,  brewers’  grains,  linseed  and  cottonseed 
meal  make  splendid  dairy  feeds.  By  consulting  the 
table  on  page  48  you  will  note  that  these  by-products 


52 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


are  all  relatively  high  in  digestible  protein.  This  is  be¬ 
cause  part  of  the  carbonaceous  material  contained  in 
the  whole  grain  has  been  taken  out  in  the  manufactur¬ 
ing  process. 

The  relative  values  of  these  feeds  as  sources  of 
protein  alone  are  determined  by  the  amount  of  digesti¬ 
ble  protein  they  contain.  By  this  rule  cottonseed  meal 
would  be  worth  three  times  as  much  per  ton  as  wheat 
bran,  but  there  is  a  greater  amount  of  digestible  car¬ 
bohydrates  in  a  ton  of  bran  than  in  a  ton  of  cottonseed 
meal,  and  this  should  be  considered  in  determining 
values.  The  other  by-products  mentioned  will  be  found 
more  palatable  than  cottonseed  meal.  Cottonseed  meal  is 
a  very  heavy  feed,  and  is  quite  constipating  in  its  effects. 

I  would  by  no  means  discourage  the  feeding  of 
cottonseed  meal,  but  would  advise  that  it  be  fed  in 
only  moderate  amounts,  and  in  connection  with  silage, 
roots,  or  some  other  laxative  feed.  I  have  fed  consid¬ 
erable  cottonseed  meal,  and  with  good  results,  but  have 
never  made  a  practice  of  feeding  more  than  three 
pounds  a  day.  Judging  by  digestible  protein  alone, 
cottonseed  meal  would  be  worth  about  16%  more  than 
linseed  meal,  but  in  actual  practice  linseed  meal  is  often 
worth  as  much  or  more  than  cottonseed  meal,  pound 
for  pound.  This  is  because  of  its  greater  palatability 
and  conditioning  effects. 

Many  proprietary  dairy  feeds  are  good,  but  they 
should  be  bought  upon  their  analyses,  or  their  digesti¬ 
ble  protein  content  rather  than  for  their  name  or  be¬ 
cause  of  the  high-sounding  phrases  used  in  advertising 
them.  I  refer  here  to  strictly  dairy  feeds,  not  to  medi¬ 
cated  mixtures  advertised  as  cure-alls.  These  are  usu¬ 
ally  sold  for  from  five  to  10  times  their  actual  value, 
granted  that  they  have  a  value. 

According  to  the  table  on  page  48  one  might  con¬ 
clude  that  wheat  middlings  are  of  more  value  per  unit 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 


than  wheat  bran.  In  actual  practice  the  reverse  is  usu¬ 
ally  true.  The  glutens  and  brewers’  grains  are  first- 
class  dairy  feeds  and  valuable  in  balancing  dairy  rations 
in  about  the  proportion  of  digestible  protein  they  con¬ 
tain.  The  table  on  page  48  gives  the  average  digestible 
contents  of  these  feeds,  but  individual  samples  vary 
considerably.  It  is  therefore  well  to  get  a  guaranteed 
analysis  from  the  seller. 

WHEN  TO  FEED 

Feed  the  cows  at  about  the  same  time  each  day. 
They  are  creatures  of  habit  and  will  do  better  when 
encouraged  to  form  good  habits.  Cows  that  are  fed 
at  certain  regular  hours  learn  to  expect  their  feed  then, 
and  not  until  then.  They  will,  as  a  rule,  be  found 
contentedly  eating,  or  chewing  their  cuds,  and  there¬ 
by  working  to  the  advantage  of  their  owners.  Cows 
that  are  fed  irregularly  are  always  expecting  or  look¬ 
ing  for  something  and  instead  of  being  contented  are 
usually  dissatisfied.  This  feeling  never  yet  helped 
make  a  herd  of  dairy  cows  more  profitable. 

SUCCULENT  FEED 

A  dairy  farmer  cannot  afford  to  be  without  some 
sort  of  succulent  feed  for  his  cows.  The  natural  plant 
juices  are  not  only  loosening  in  their  effect  upon  the 
bowels,  but  something  about  them  stimulates  digestion 
and  assimilation.  Every  farmer  has  doubtless  noticed 
that  if  any  of  his  live  stock  gets  out  of  condition  when 
eating  dry  feed  in  winter,  the  best  tonic  they  can  be 
given  is  fresh,  succulent  grass  when  it  comes  in  spring. 
The  dairy  farmer  cannot  have  fresh  grass  in  winter, 
but  he  may  approximate  it  by  having  a  good  supply 
of  such  succulent  feed  as  corn  silage  and  roots.  It  has 
been  found  that  even  where  plenty  of  good  corn  silage 
is  fed  cows  do  better  if  given  a  few  roots  each  day. 


54 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


CLEAN  MANGERS  AND  SURROUNDINGS 

Filth  and  vile  odors  never  contributed  to  the 
health  nor  appetite  of  the  dairy  cow.  If  a  cow  is  to 
do  her  best  as  a  profit  maker,  she  must  be  induced  to 
consume  large  quantities  of  feed.  To  do  this  her 
appetite  must  be  keen.  I  have  already  emphasized  the 
need  of  furnishing  the  cow  with  palatable  feed  that 
she  may  be  encouraged  to  consume  all  she  can  convert 
into  milk.  I  have  asserted  that  early-cut,  well-cured 
alfalfa  and  clover  hay  are  excellent  and  palatable,  but 
it  .avails  a  dairy  farmer  little  to  provide  a  generous 
amount  of  good  feed  and  then  feed  it  in  a  stable  where 
vile  odors  overcome  its  aroma. 

I  have  often  seen  mangers  partially  filled  with 
refuse  that  had  been  collecting  for  some  time.  The 
cow  had  been  breathing  upon  this,  and  the  animal  mat¬ 
ter,  moisture,  and  heat  from  her  breath  had  started 
decomposition,  the  odor  of  which  would  overcome 
the  aroma  of  the  best  hay  ever  made. 

Mangers  should  be  cleaned  of  all  refuse  at  least 
once  each  day.  The  voidings  of  the  cows  should  all 
be  removed  at  least  once  a  day,  and  an  occasional  ap¬ 
plication  of  quicklime  made  to  keep  floors  and  gutters 
sweet.  If  this  is  done  and  the  stable  properly  ventilated 
and  lighted,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  cow  stable 
should  be  an  ill-smelling  place.  Time  and  care  spent 
upon  the  cow  stable  to  make  it  a  fit  place  in  which  to 
feed  and  keep  the  cow,  will  add  materially  to  dairy 
profits. 

SUMMER  FEEDING 

The  preceding  discussion  of  feeding  refers  espe¬ 
cially  to  winter  feeding.  More  mistakes  are  made  in 
the  winter  feeding  of  cows  than  in  summer  feeding. 
Nature  has,  in  a  measure,  provided  feed  for  summer 
and  does  her  best  to  provide  in  summer  just  what  I 


FEEDING  DAIRY  COWS  FOR  PROFIT 

have  urged  that  the  cow  be  given  in  winter.  The  vari¬ 
ous  grasses  and  green  legumes  furnish,  if  the  pasture 
is  good,  a  generous  amount  and  variety  of  palatable, 
succulent  feed  that  is  properly  balanced,  or  nearly  so. 
This  she  obtains  regularly  under  conditions  that  are 
clean,  sweet  and  wholesome. 

Should  there  come  a  bad  drouth  or  should  we  have 
more  stock  than  our  pastures  can  supply,  nature’s 
efforts  must  be  supplemented  by  the  farmer  if  his 
cows  are  to  do  as  well  as  they  should.  I  have  often 
seen  herds  on  pasture  so  meager  that  they  were  only 
able  by  hard  work  to  get  enough  grass  for  maintenance. 
Unless  they  supply  other  feed  to  supplement  this  pas¬ 
ture,  the  owners  must  expect  a  loss,  for  as  I  have 
already  pointed  out  a  maintenance  ration  alone  is  prac¬ 
tically  a  waste.  In  many  dairy  sections,  land  has  be¬ 
come  so  high  in  value  that  the  owner  cannot  afford  to 
use  it  for  pasture.  An  acre  of  tillable  land  planted  to 
corn,  and  well  cared  for,  will,  as  a  rule,  furnish  about 
three  times  as  much  cow  feed  as  the  same  acre  in 
pasture. 

Many  of  our  most  successful  dairymen  have  little 
or  no  pasture  for  their  cows,  but  feed  them  in  a  yard 
or  stable  throughout  the  year.  When  sufficient  pasture 
is  lacking,  corn  silage  should  in  most  sections  be  sup¬ 
plied  liberally  for  summer  feeding.  This  can  be  sup¬ 
plemented  with  green  crops  in  the  following  order: 
Early  rye,  clover,  peas  and  oats,  early  sweet  corn,  and 
evergreen  sweet  corn.  In  some  sections,  such  crops  as 
cowpeas,  soy  beans  and  millet  are  grown  and  fed  to 
advantage. 

Cows  giving  a  good  flow  of  milk  should  have  grain 
in  summer,  whether  on  pasture  or  not.  If  approach¬ 
ing  the  latter  part  of  the  lactation  period  and  abun¬ 
dant  pasture  of  mixed  grasses  is  available,  they  may  do 
without  grain  for  a  time,  if  already  in  good  flesh. 


56 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


M.any  dairy  farmers  seem  to  have  the  notion  that 
silage,  hay,  and  grain  are  to  be  fed  to  cows  only  in 
winter.  This  is  a  decided  mistake.  Keep  prominently 
in  mind  that  you  are  running  a  dairy  for  profit,  and  as 
much  profit  as  you  can  fairly  obtain.  Do  not  forget 
that  the  only  kind  of  feeding  that  enables  a  dairy  cow 
to  yield  maximum  profits  is  generous  feeding,  be  the 
season  summer  or  winter. 

FEEDING  DRY  COWS 

Cows  should  be  dried  up  from  four  to  six  weeks 
before  calving.  This  period  should  be  considered  as 
a  time  of  partial  rest,  and  preparation  of  the  cow  for 
the  hard  season  of  work  just  before  her.  Too  often 
during  this  period  the  cow  is  neglected,  allowed  to  shift 
for  herself,  and  perhaps  become  weakened.  This  is 
poor  preparation  for  hard  work. 

A  few  years  ago  dairymen  feared  to  have  their 
cows  freshen  when  in  good  flesh  and  thriving  because 
they  thought  they  were  more  likely  to  have  milk  fever. 
This  may  have  been  true,  but  the  dairyman  need  no 
longer  fear  milk  fever.  If  the  cow  is  milked  out  for 
the  first  three  days  after  calving,  only  enough  to  re- 
lieve  the  pressure  on  the  udder,  there  is  little  likelihood 
of  the  disease.  If  she  does  show  symptoms  she  can 
readily  be  relieved  by  filling  the  udder  with  air. 

When  feeding  grain  to  dry  cows  or  to  cows  on  pas¬ 
ture,  we  do  not  always  get  returns  at  once,  but  the 
returns  for  the  years  as  they  go  prove  that  we  cannot 
afford  to  let  our  cows  become  weakened  or  low  in 
vitality.  The  dry  cow  that  is  to  freshen  soon  should 
be  so  fed  as  to  maintain  her,  nourish  the  developing 
calf  and  allow  her  to  gain  in  flesh  and  vigor.  Unless 
pasture  is  abundant  she  should  be  given  a  fair  ration 
of  grain. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Qare  of  the  Dairy  Herd 

A  dairy  farmer  may  have  a  herd  of  cows,  each 
individual  of  which  is  a  splendid  dairy  animal.  He  may 
feed  them  generously  with  the  best  kinds  of  feed,  but 
if  they  are  not  so  cared  for  as  to  keep  them  com¬ 
fortable  and  healthy,  they  will  be  unable  to  make  large 
profits  to  their  owner. 

I  once  heard  a  great  dairyman  say,  "A  cow  is  a 
lady,  and  if  she  is  to  do  her  best,  she  must  be  treated 
like  a  lady.”  A  better  statement  of  the  case  is  that 
a  cow  is  a  mother,  and  if  she  is  to  exercise  her  instinct 
of  maternity  to  the  greatest  advantage  to  her  owner, 
she  must  be  treated  as  a  mother  should  be  treated. 
This  may  savor  of  sentiment,  but  I  guarantee  that  if 
practiced  it  will  prove  very  sensible. 

If  a  cow  owner  has  a  malevolent  feeling  toward 
his  cow,  loud  boisterous  language  and  the  use  of  the 
milk  stool  as  an  instrument  of  chastisement  may  re¬ 
lieve  his  feelings;  it  will  also  relieve  him  of  dairy 
profits.  Quiet,  contented  and  comfortable  cows  are  in 
condition  to  do  good  dairy  work.  When  not  in  this 
condition  they  cannot  do  good  work. 

During  my  lifetime  I  have  seen  but  two  dogs  that 
I  thought  might  be  an  asset  to  a  dairyman.  I  have 
seen  hundreds  of  them  on  dairy  farms  that  I  knew 
were  greater  liabilities  than  their  owners  could  afford. 
When  dairy  cows  are  hurried  from  the  pasture  to  the 
barn  by  a  dog  snapping  at  their  heels,  the  owner  may 
calculate  that*1  he  has  saved  some  time,  but  he  may 
know  with  equal  assurance  that  the  saving  of  time  has 
cost  too  much.  His  cows  give  less  milk,  and  what  they 
do  give  is  not  as  rich. 


57 


58 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


To  keep  a  cow  profitable  she  must  be  kept  warm. 
One  of  the  best  cows  I  ever  owned  I  bought  from  a 
man  who  sold  her  because  she  did  not  give  enough  milk. 
He  said  that  after  she  freshened  in  the  fall  she  would 
give  a  good  flow  of  milk  until  cold  weather  and  then 
the  flow  would  shrink  badly. 

I  knew  he  had  a  warm  barn  where  the  cows  were 
kept  nights,  but  I  knew  also  that  no  matter  how  cold  it 
was  his  cows  were  turned  out  in  the  morning  and 
kept  out  all  day.  I  bought  this  cow,  put  her  in  a  warm 
barn,  and  kept  her  there.  She  freshened  in  October 
and  in  less  than  a  year  gave  over  14,000  pounds  milk. 
She  was  probably  the  best  cow  that  the  man  who  sold 
her  ever  owned.  She  was  spare  and  thin,  and  after 
freshening  converted  most  of  her  feed  into  milk.  This 
left  her  poorly  fortified  against  the  cold,  and  when 
she  was  forced  to  stand  out  of  doors  all  day  she  was  so 
uncomfortable  that  she  could  not  do  good  dairy  work. 
The  other  cows  of  his  herd  were  not  as  good  dairy 
cows  as  she.  They  carried  more  flesh  and  used  more 
of  their  feed  for  fuel,  hence  did  not  suffer  from  the 
cold  to  the  same  extent. 

Some  will  say  that  it  has  been  proved  that  fatten¬ 
ing  steers  will  do  nearly  if  not  quite  as  well  in  open 
sheds  as  in  warm  barns.  The  steer,  with  a  thick  layer 
of  fat  on  his  body  and  using  a  large  part  of  his  feed 
for  fuel,  is  a  different  proposition.  The  good  dairy  cow 
is  spare  in  flesh,  and  is  depleting  her  system  every  day 
to  yield  bountifully  at  the  pail. 

Have  a  warm  barn  for  your  cows.  It  need  not  be 
an  expensive  one.  Keep  your  cows  in  this  barn  when 
it  is  too  cold  for  them  to  be  outside.  It  is  too  cold  for 
a  dairy  cow  to  be  outside  for  any  great  length  of  time 
when  it  is  too  cold  or  windy  for  you  to  stand  outside 
in  your  ordinary  winter  clothing  for  an  hour  without 
feeling  chilled. 


CARE  OF  THE  DAIRY  HERD 


59 


For  some  years  my  own  cows  have  not  been  out¬ 
side  the  barn  and  the  covered  and  inclosed  barnyard 
from  the  time  they  came  in  from  pasture  in  the  fall 
until  they  went  out  to  pasture  in  the  spring.  Some  say 
that  cows  should  move  around  when  outside  on  cold 
days,  and  thus  keep  warm.  Good  dairy  cows  when 
turned  out  in  the  cold  usually  hump  up  and  suffer. 
Even  should  they  keep  warm  by  moving  briskly  about 
their  owners  should  know  that  a  cow  cannot  use  her 
feed  to  furnish  energy  and  muscle  and  still  have  that 
feed  to  convert  into  milk.  It  is  much  more  profitable 
to  protect  the  cow  from  the  cold  than  to  force  her  to 
use  her  feed  for  fuel.  When  you  see  a  dairy  herd  out 
of  doors  and  unprotected  for  any  great  length  of  time 
in  cold,  windy  weather,  you  may  safely  assert  that  the 
owner  is  advertising  a  system  of  dairying  that  never 
has  proved  very  profitable  and  never  will. 

Some  dairymen  say  they  want  their  cows  to  have 
exercise.  They  should  understand  that  a  cow  elabor¬ 
ating  from  35  to  40  pounds  of  good  milk  in  a  day  is 
doing  as  much  work  as  a  horse  that  helps  plow  two 
acres  of  sod.  If  you  are  keeping  your  dairy  cows  to 
produce  milk,  you  had  better  keep  them  at  it,  and  fur¬ 
nish  them  conditions  under  which  they  can  work  to 
the  best  advantage.  It  will,  of  course,  do  cows  good 
rather  than  harm  to  be  allowed  to  move  about  some¬ 
what,  provided  they  can  do  so  under  comfortable  con¬ 
ditions. 


WATERING  COWS 

Cows  need  constant  access  to  pure,  clean  water  of 
moderate  temperature.  Individual  drinking  pots  are 
good  if  kept  clean  and  supplied  with  running  water. 
Cows  do  very  well  if  allowed  to  go  to  a  water  tank 
twice  a  day.  They  should  not  be  forced  to  drink  ice 
cold  water.  When  forced  to  do  so  they  will  not  as  a 


60 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


rule  drink  until  quite  thirsty  and  will  then  drink  a  large 
quantity.  This  is  especially  true  if  they  must  go  out¬ 
side  to  get  the  water.  Even  if  returned  to  the  barn  at 
once  they  will  be  chilled  for  a  time. 

Rather  than  have  the  cow  chilled,  carry  water  to 
her  in  the  barn.  If  the  cow  is  watered  at  a  tank,  the 
water  should  be  raised  to  a  moderate  temperature  by 
the  use  of  a  tank  heater.  To  say  nothing  of  the  evil 
effects  of  chilling,  it  is  cheaper  to  use  wood  or  coal  to 
warm  water  than  to  use  high-priced  dairy  feeds  as  fuel. 

HEALTHY  COWS  AND  PROFITABLE  DAIRYING 

All  animals  that  are  to  continue  in  perfect  health 
must  have  plenty  of  pure,  fresh  air  and  sunshine. 
These  essentials  are  free,  so  we  certainly  cannot  afford 
to  deny  them  to  our  cows.  Some  adequate  system  of 
ventilation  should  be  provided  in  every  dairy  barn. 
The  barn  should  be  so  located  and  have  windows  of 
such  size  and  so  placed  as  to  allow  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun  to  reach  every  part  of  the  stable. 

KEEP  THE  COWS  CLEAN 

Cows  do  not  eliminate  so  much  of  the  waste  of 
the  body  through  the  skin  as  does  the  horse,  so  it  is  not 
quite  so  essential  that  their  skin  be  kept  clean. 
Despite  this,  however,  the  cow  will  keep  in  better 
health  and  give  more  milk  if  her  skin  is  kept  reasonably 
clean.  If  the  stable  is  supplied  with  properly  con¬ 
structed  gutters,  so  that  the  cow  does  not  become 
fouled  by  her  own  excrement,  going  over  her  with  a 
good  stiff  brush  is  sufficient. 

HOW  TO  MILK 

A  good  milker  can  do  much  to  keep  up  the  milk 
flow.  Cows  should  be  milked  quickly  and  stripped  out 


CARE  OF  THE  DAIRY  HERD 


61 


clean.  A  gentle  kneading  of  the  udder  will  usually  en¬ 
able  the  milker  to  get  a  little  more  milk,  and  this  last 
milk  is  much  richer  in  fat  than  the  average  of  the 
whole  milking. 

Occasionally  we  may  have  a  cow  that  is  an  ex¬ 
cellent  milk  producer,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  she 
is  treated  kindly  is  restless  when  milked.  Unless  pre¬ 
vented  she  may  cause  a  good  deal  of  trouble  by 


OPEN  PAIL  SMALL-TOP  TYLER  PAIL  OSBORNE  PAIL 


Fig.  17 — The  Small  Top  Pail  Keeps  Dirt  from  Milk 
The  middle  pail  is  most  desirable  for  farm  use. 

quickly  lifting  her  foot  and  disturbing  the  milker,  and 
perhaps  upsetting  the  milk  pail.  The  first  impulse  is  to 
punish  her,  but  this  will  more  often  exaggerate  the 
fault  than  cure  it. 

Punishment  is  almost  sure  to  produce  a  vicious 
cow.  The  best  plan  is  to  strap  her  legs.  Fasten  two 
straps  to  a  ring  and  buckle  them  tightly  about  her  legs 
just  above  the  hock  joint.  As  long  as  she  stands  still 
the  straps  are  not  uncomfortable,  but  they  prevent  her 
moving  her  feet  very  much  and  are  uncomfortable 
when  she  tries  to  do  so.  Every  dairy  should  be  sup¬ 
plied  with  such  straps.  They  often  can  be  used  in 
breaking  a  heifer  to  milk,  and  in  milking  cows  that 
happen  to  have  sore  teats  or  an  inflamed  udder. 


62 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


REGULARITY  IN  MILKING 

Regularity  in  milking  as  in  feeding  counts  for  a 
great  deal  in  profitable  dairying.  Each  milker  should 
have  certain  cows  that  are  his  to  milk.  There  should 
be  a  time  set  for  milking,  and  heroic  effort  made  to  be¬ 
gin  on  time.  If  milk  scales  are  used  and  a  record 
kept  of  each  milking  the  milkers  can  be  held  responsi¬ 
ble  for  results.  This,  as  I  have  pointed  out  before,  will 
encourage  milkers  to  do  their  best. 

DETAILS  OF  FEEDING 

To  me  it  has  seemed  of  advantage  to  feed  the  grain 
with  silage.  Our  cows  are  turned  into  the  inclosed 
barnyard  while  the  stables  are  being  cleaned.  While 
this  is  being  done  the  mangers  are  swept  clean  and  the 
silage  placed  in  them.  The  grain  is  placed  on  the 
silage  and  once  each  day  about  four  ounces  salt  added. 
Silage,  grain  and  salt  are  then  mixed  together  by  lifting 
the  middle  of  the  pile  of  silage  with  a  fork,  allowing 
grain  and  salt  to  sift  through.  By  feeding  silage  and 
grain  together  the  whole  mass  goes  to  the  first  stomach 
and  then  is  brought  back  to  the  mouth  and  remasti¬ 
cated. 


PLENTY  OF  SALT  PAYS 

The  physiological  effect  of  salt  is  to  aid  and  stim¬ 
ulate  the  secretions.  Milk  is  a  secretion,  and  experi¬ 
ence  teaches  that  cows  yield  more  milk  if  well  supplied 
with  salt.  Some  dairymen  keep  salt  before  their  cows 
so  they  may  help  themselves.  I  prefer  to  furnish  it 
with  their  feed.  Each  cow  is  given  from  three  to  five 
ounces  a  day,  depending  upon  her  size,  the  amount  of 
milk  she  gives  and  the  amount  of  feed  she  consumes. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Summer  or  Winter  Dairying 

Shall  we  have  our  cows  freshen  in  spring  or  in 
autumn?  Some  dairy  farmers,  because  of  the  nature 
of  their  market,  must  strive  to  maintain  a  constant  and 
uniform  supply  of  milk  all  the  year.  Much  more  but¬ 
ter  is  produced  in  summer  than  in  winter,  and  the  price 
of  summer  butter  is  correspondingly  lower. 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  dairy  farmer  who  sells  milk 
or  cream  to  a  creamery,  cheese  factory  or  condensery, 
or  who  makes  butter  on  the  farm,  can  make  larger 
and  more  satisfactory  profits  by  having  his  cows 
freshen  in  the  fall.  The  months  of  September,  Octo¬ 
ber  and  November  are,  in  my  judgment,  the  best  sea¬ 
son. 


REASONS  FOR  AUTUMN  FRESHENING 

First — Cows  give  their  largest  milk  flow  in  the 
season  of  highest  prices. 

Second — The  cows  are  giving  their  largest  yield 
and  need  most  attention  and  care  when  the  farmer  is 
most  at  liberty,  and  are  dry  or  giving  least  milk  through 
the  heated  season  and  the  fly  season. 

Third — The  herd  requires  the  least  time,  care  and 
attention  when  the  farmer  is  busiest  with  farm  work. 

Fourth — A  cow  when  well  housed,  fed,  and  cared 
for  will  give  more  milk  in  a  year  when  freshening  in 
the  fall. 

Fifth — Unless  one  has  cheap  pasture  land,  milk 
can  be  produced  as  cheaply  or  more  cheaply  in  winter 
than  in  summer. 


63 


Fig.  19 — Floor  Plan  of  Ideal  Cow  Stall 


64 


CHAPTER  IX 


Dairy  Barns  and  Equipment 

It  is  not  so  much  my  purpose  here  to  advise  the 
building  of  new  dairy  barns  as  to  point  out  inexpensive 
ways  of  improving  those  many  dairy  farmers  already 
have.  I  shall  give  no  consideration  to  fancy  high- 
priced  buildings.  I  have  no  prejudice  against  finely 
furnished  and  high-priced  dairy  buildings,  but  I  hold 
that  when  it  comes  to  a  matter  of  profit  a  plain  inex¬ 
pensive  dairy  barn,  if  it  meets  the  requirements  of  the 
cow,  is  most  practical. 

If  storage  room  for  feed  is  needed  as  well  as  stable 
room,  a  bank  or  basement  barn,  properly  constructed, 
is  quite  satisfactory.  In  a  basement  stable  extra  care 
should  be  taken  to  secure  good  drainage  and  plenty  of 
light.  Have  the  floor  of  the  basement  high  enough 
that  surface  water  will  drain  away.  Keep  the  second 
story  enough  above  ground  to  allow  for  good-sized 
windows  all  the  way  around  the  basement. 

Basement  barns  should  have  double-boarded  floors 
above.  When  feed  is  stored  above  and  dropped  into 
the  stable  through  chutes,  there  is  sure  to  be  more  dust 
in  the  stable  than  when  feed  is  brought  in  from  the 
sides  or  ends.  A  satisfactory  arrangement  is  a  one- 
story  stable  with  storage  buildings  for  hay  at  one  end 
and  silo  at  the  other. 

THREE  REQUISITES  OF  DAIRY  STABLE 

Whether  building  a  new  dairy  stable,  or  altering 
an  old  one  there  are  three  positive  essentials  to  keep  in 
mind.  The  stable  should  be  made  warm ,  should  be  pro- 

G5 


66 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


vided  with  plenty  of  windows,  and  with  some  system  of 
ventilation. 

If  you  have  a  cold  stable  put  on  new  siding,  chink 
it,  or  cover  it  with  building  paper.  Building  paper  and 
chinking  may  make  the  stable  unsightly,  but  your  cows 
will  more  quickly  make  the  profits  from  which  you 
may  build  a  new  stable.  Window  glass  is  so  cheap 
that  any  cow  owner  can  afford  to  light  his  stable.  It 
is  not  expensive  to  cut  out  the  siding  every  few  feet 
and  put  in  windows.  It  pays  to  do  it.  One-fourth 
of  the  space  all  the  way  around  at  the  window  level 


Fig.  20 — Front  Elevation  of  Ideal  Cow  Stall 

% 


DAIRY  BARNS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


67 


should  be  devoted  to  windows.  The  direct  rays  of  the 
sun  are  fatal  to  filth  and  to  most  disease  germs.  A 
stable  is  much  more  healthful  if  it  is  well  lighted. 

VENTILATION  A  BARN  NECESSITY 

Ventilation  means  simply  a  change  of  air.  Barn 
ventilation  is  good  if  it  provides  for  changing  the  air 
often  enough  to  keep  it  reasonably  pure.  It  may  be 
provided  by  opening  windows,  but  this  creates  a  draft 
and  in  cold  weather  unduly  lowers  the  temperature 
inside.  If  ventilation  is  to  be  secured  in  this  way  mus¬ 
lin  should  be  tacked  over  the  openings  in  cold  weather. 


68 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


A  better  system  is  to  let  fresh  air  into  the  stable 
through  small  openings  and  pass  it  out  through  open¬ 
ings  in  the  ceiling. 

The  best  known  method  of  ventilating  a  stable  is 
by  the  King  system.  This  consists  of  a  system  of  flues. 
The  fresh  air  flues  open  on  the  outside  three  or  four 
feet  below  the  ceiling,  run  upward  along  the  wall  and 
open  into  the  stable  near  the  ceiling.  There  should  be 
several  of  these  fresh  air  flues,  and  they  should  be  on 
at  least  two  sides  of  the  stable. 

The  impure  air  is  drawn  out  through  one  or  more 
flues  opening  near  the  floor  and  extending  up  to  a 
point  a  few  feet  above  the  ridge  of  the  roof.  All  these 
flues  are  air  tight.  By  this  system  the  fresh  cold  air 
enters  the  stable  near  the  ceiling  and  is  mixed  there 
with  the  warm  air.  The  air  drawn  off  is  the  cold  air 
near  the  floor. 

The  intakes  should  be  about  six  inches  square  and 
the  outlets  two  feet  square.  One  such  outlet  will  pro¬ 
vide  for  20  cows.  If  there  are  30  to  50  cows,  provide 
two  such  outlets,  one  at  each  end  of  the  stable.  The 
intake  flues  should  be  provided  with  valves  so  that  in 
very  cold  or  windy  weather  the  circulation  of  air  may 
be  controlled. 


HITCHING  THE  COW 

There  are  many  ways  of  fastening  cows  in  the 
stable.  I  do  not  care  to  recommend  any  one  way.  Give 
them  as  much  liberty  as  is  consistent  with  cleanliness. 

STABLE  FLOORS 

Cement  is  the  best  material  for  the  floor  of  a  cow 
stable.  If  desired  the  bench  upon  which  the  cows 
stand  and  lie  down  may  be  covered  with  wood,  cork 


DAIRY  BARNS  AND  EQUIPMENT 


69 


cows,  3  feet  2  inches ;  heifers,  3  feet. 


70 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


brick  or  other  material  not  as  hard  as  concrete,  and 
that  conducts  heat  less  readily. 

My  own  cows  have  stood  on  a  cement  floor  for 
some  years  and  I  have  noted  no  bad  results.  I  recom¬ 
mend  a  cement  manger  with  feed  alley  raised  six  or 
eight  inches  above  the  bottom  of  the  manger,  as  shown 
in  the  accompanying  cut. 

COVERED  AND  INCLOSED  BARNYARDS 

For  10  years  I  have  had  an  inclosed  barnyard,  as 
shown  elsewhere.  This  yard  is  48  by  90  feet, 
sided  with  matched  siding,  covered  with  a  good  shingle 
roof,  and  has  a  cement  floor.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a 
shed  and  is  joined  to  the  barn.  Such  a  yard  is  very 
convenient  in  many  respects.  I  turn  the  cows  into  the 
yard  twice  a  day  while  the  stable  is  being  cleaned  and 
the  silage  and  grain  placed  in  the  mangers.  This  gives 
the  cows  an  opportunity  to  move  about  without  being 
exposed  to  wind  and  cold.  It  is  used  for  an  exercise 
yard  for  the  growing  heifers  and  for  other  stock. 

Before  I  had  this  yard  I  drew  the  manure  direct 
from  the  stable  to  the  field  when  possible.  When  the 
snow  was  too  deep  or  the  fields  soft  the  manure  had  to 
be  thrown  out  of  doors.  Now  I  haul  it  out  when  I 
choose ;  usually  one  day  in  the  week  is  devoted  to  this 
work.  When  I  cannot  get  it  to  the  fields  it  is  under 
a  roof,  and  is  not  deteriorating.  I  try  to  have  all  the 
manure  made  on  the  farm  in  the  winter  months  either 
deposited  on  the  field  or  kept  in  this  covered  yard. 

I  consider  this  covered  barnyard  one  of  the  most 
practical  buildings  on  the  farm.  Having  it  joined  to 
the  barn  makes  it  very  convenient,  but  it  has  the  draw¬ 
back  of  shutting  off  part  of  the  direct  light  from  the 
basement  stable. 


CHAPTER  X 


Grops  for  the  Dairy  Farm 

To  fairly  cover  the  above  subject  would  require 
a  book  by  itself.  I  shall  not  attempt  here  to  even  speak 
of  the  numerous  crops  that  can  be  grown  to  advantage 
some  years,  or  in  some  sections,  either  for  winter  feed¬ 
ing  or  for  soiling.  I  wish,  however,  to  offer  a  few 
suggestions  worth  considering  in  every  section  every 
year. 

Corn  should  be  grown  on  every  dairy  farm  where 
it  is  possible  to  grow  corn.  It  should  mostly  be  stored 
in  silos  for  winter  and  summer  feeding.  For  the  silo, 
grow  corn  that  will  produce  a  large  tonnage,  but  grow 
corn  that  will  mature  in  your  climate.  Immature  corn 
makes  sour,  unwholesome  silage,  low  in  nutrients. 
Rather  than  grow  very  large  stalks  plant  the  corn  thick, 
thus  growing  more  and  smaller  stalks.  When  planting 
corn  for  silage  I  use  50%  more  seed  than  when  plant¬ 
ing  corn  to  husk.  Cut  the  corn  and  put  it  in  the  silo 
just  as  it  reaches  maturity. 

ALFALFA  AND  CLOVER 

Many  farmers  are  just  beginning  to  realize  some¬ 
thing  of  the  immense  value  of  alfalfa  as  a  dairy  feed. 
Possibly  there  are  sections  in  this  country  where  alfalfa 
cannot  be  grown,  but  it  is  now  being  profitably  pro¬ 
duced  in  many  sections  where  a  few  years  ago  it  was 
thought  impossible.  When  you  consider  that  a  ton 
of  good  alfalfa  hay  is  worth  nearly  as  much  for  feed 
as  a  ton  of  oats  or  wheat  bran,  and  that  even  as  far 
north  as  northern  Michigan  three  crops  a  year  can  be 

71 


72 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


grown,  you  are  forced  to  conclude  that  a  special  effort 
to  get  this  crop  started  on  your  farm  is  well  worth 
while. 

But  little  trouble  has  been  experienced  in  getting 
the  seed  to  grow  on  almost  any  soil.  The  trouble  is 
to  get  the  young  plant  to  live  and  thrive  through  the 
first  year.  I  feel  like  urging  every  dairy  farmer  to  try 
growing  a  small  plot  of  alfalfa  on  his  farm.  Nearly 
every  experiment  station  has  been  studying  alfalfa.  I 
advise  each  farmer  to  write  the  station  of  his  state 
asking  for  information  on  growing  the  plant  in  his 
locality. 

I  am  sure  that  the  following  advice  to  those  who 
have  never  grown  alfalfa  will  be  found  practical  in 
every  section.  Select  a  plot  of  fertile,  well-drained 
soil.  Plow  it  early  and  work  it  well.  If  the  plot  is 
not  too  weedy,  sow  part  of  it  as  early  in  spring  as  you 
can.  Cultivate  the  rest  of  the  plot  thoroughly  until 
late  June  or  July,  or  until  the  land  is  in  good  condition 
for  germinating  the  seed,  then  sow  it.  Use  about  15 
pounds  seed  per  acre. 

If  there  is  an  old  alfalfa  field  within  reasonable 
distance  where  a  load  of  soil  can  be  obtained,  get  it 
and  scatter  it  over  at  least  a  part  of  the  plot.  If  soil 
cannot  be  obtained  secure  an  inoculating  culture  from 
your  experiment  station.  If  they  cannot  furnish  it 
they  will  be  able  to  tell  you  where  to  get  it.  This 
should  be  used  on  the  seed  before  sowing.  Directions 
for  using  it  accompany  the  culture.  Sowing  400 
pounds  an  acre  of  soil  from  an  old  alfalfa  field  and 
covering  immediately  is  a  successful  way  to  inoculate 
your  soil. 

Alfalfa  will  not  do  well  where  the  soil  is  sour  or 
lacking  in  lime.  Scatter  over  at  least  a  part  of  each 
plot  a  liberal  supply  of  air-slacked  lime.  If  you  fail 
in  the  first  attempt,  try  again.  By  treating  different 


CROPS  FOR  THE  DAIRY  FARM 


73 


parts  of  your  plot  differently  you  may  be  able  to  learn 
when  to  sow  the  seed  and  what  to  supply  to  make  the 
crop  successful.  If  you  learn  how  to  grow  the  crop 
the  results  will  many  times  over  repay  you  for  the 
effort. 

When  a  good  stand  of  alfalfa  is  secured  it  should 
stand  for  a  term  of  years.  It  will  be  some  years  yet 
before  the  average  dairy  farmer  is  ready  to  discard 
clover  entirely,  if  that  time  ever  comes. 


CHAPTER  XI 


Silos  and  Silage 

At  one  time  silos  were  considered  a  sort  of  rich 
man’s  luxury;  now  they  are  recognized  as  the  poor 
man’s  necessity.  A  few  dairy  farmers  are  putting  off 
building  a  silo  until  they  have  rearranged  or  built  a  dairy 
barn.  Others  are  not  yet  persuaded  that  they  need  one 
or  can  afford  it.  To  these  I  submit  the  following  facts : 


The  silo  is  one  of  the  cheapest  forms  of  a  success¬ 
ful  storage  building.  What  sort  of  a  building  can  you 
erect  for  the  same  cost  that  will  successfully  store  so 
much  good  cow  feed? 


SILOS  AND  SILAGE 


75 


A  corn  crop  can  be  harvested  and  put  in  a  silo  at 
less  cost  than  it  can  be  husked  and  stored. 

By  placing  a  field  of  corn  in  the  silo  the  fanner 
conserves  a  greater  proportion  of  its  feeding  value  than 
is  possible  in  any  other  form. 

As  silage,  the  cows  eat  and  relish  the  stalks  as  well 
as  the  leaves  and  grain. 

As  silage  the  crop  is  more  palatable  than  when 
field  cured  and  this  is  of  immense  advantage  to  the  cow 
owner.  The  crop  retains  its  natural  plant  juices,  which 
materially  aid  the  cow  in  digesting  and  assimilating 
this  and  other  feeds. 

Silos  should  be  round,  perpendicular,  smooth  on 
the  inside,  and  air  tight.  They  may  be  built  of  wood, 
tile,  or  cement.  Cement  silos  are  rapidly  coming  into 
use,  and  where  suitable  sand  for  building  can  be  secured 
within  reasonable  distance,  are  not  much  more  expen¬ 
sive  to  build  than  wooden  ones.  The  foundation  of  a 
cement  silo  should  be  broad  and  strong,  the  walls  well 
reinforced  with  strong  wire,  and  the  inside  plastered 
with  a  rich  cement  mortar.  A  farmer  with  six  cows 
can  afford  to  have  a  silo.  If  he  has  more  than  six  he 
cannot  afford  to  be  without  one. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Farm  Gare  of  Milk  and  Gream 

American  dairy  products  might  be  much  enhanced 
in  value,  and  the  health  of  infants  and  adults  who  con¬ 
sume  milk  materially  safeguarded,  were  more  care  used 
in  milking  and  in  handling  milk  and  cream.  Milk  sours 
and  decomposes  through  the  action  of  minute  organ¬ 
isms  that  get  into  it  during  the  process  of  milking  and 
afterwards.  Warm  milk  is  almost  a  perfect  medium 


76 


Ayrshire  Cow,  Lily  of  Willowmoor,  World's  Champion  of  the  Breed 

Record,  milk  22,106  lbs.  in  one  year ;  per  cent,  4.02 ;  butter  fat,  888.7  lbs.,  butter,  80 °/t 

1,110.88  lbs. 


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FARM  CARE  OF  MILK  AND  CREAM 


77 


for  the  growth  and  multiplication  of  such  organisms. 
The  death  of  many  babies  as  well  as  of  older  children 
and  adults  can  be  directly  traced  to  the  indifference  of 
dairy  farmers  in  drawing  the  milk  and  caring  for  it. 
Contrary  to  the  belief  of  many,  this  is  as  true  of  those 
living  on  farms  as  of  those  living  in  cities. 

Many  diseases  are  the  direct  results  of  bad  milk, 
and  many  other  diseases  prove  fatal  because  the  patient 
has  been  weakened  by  consuming  unwholesome  milk. 
Stable  air  and  the  air  in  unclean,  poorly  ventilated 
stables  is  loaded  with  organisms.  Minute  particles  of 
filth  that  may  drop  into  the  milk  from  the  sides  or 
udder  of  the  cow  usually  contain  millions  of  such 
germs.  These  often  double  in  numbers  every  15  to 
20  minutes  while  the  milk  remains  warm.  Cleanliness 
and  cold,  and  keeping  away  from  everything  that  pro- 


Fig.  26 — Side  Elevation  of  Farm  Milk  House 


78 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


duces  odors  are  the  essentials  for  good  milk  and  other 
dairy  products.  Keep  the  cow  and  stable  clean.  Milk 
with  clean,  dry  hands  and  remove  the  milk  from  the 
stable  as  soon  as  drawn.  Cool  the  milk  down  to  50 
degrees  as  quickly  as  possible  or  separate  and  cool  the 
cream.  Bacteria  multiply  very  slowly  in  cold  milk. 

A  farmer  who  kills  an  animal  in  hot  weather  will 
get  the  meat  cool  as  quickly  as  he  can  to  prevent  its 
spoiling,  but  will  often  take  but  little  pains  to  cool  milk 
that,  unless  cooled,  spoils  much  more  quickly.  Milk, 
cream,  and  butter  absorb  most  quickly  the  disagreeable 
odors  of  a  barn,  of  vegetables,  of  a  damp  cellar  or  of 
decaying  substances.  They  should  be  kept  away  from 
such  odors.  Prevent  as  far  as  possible  filth  and  germs 
getting  into  the  milk,  cool  quickly,  and  keep  in  a  clean, 
sweet,  cool  place. 


Fig.  27 — Front  Elevation  of  Farm  Milk  FIouse 


CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Outlook  for  Dairying 


The  outlook  for  dairying  for  many  years  to  come 
is  promising.  The  cow  is  an  economical  producer. 
The  cities  are  constantly  calling  for  more  good  milk. 
The  consumption  of  ice  cream  is  rapidly  increasing. 
If  our  dairy  products  are  good  enough  there  is  no 
danger  of  over-production. 

The  greatest  menace  to  the  dairy  industry  is  the 
fraudulent,  and  dishonest  competition  of  oleomargarine 
and  other  substitutes  for  dairy  products.  Oleomar¬ 
garine  is  a  legitimate  product,  and  dairy  farmers  should 
not  and  do  not  object  to  it  if  sold  for  what  it  is.  They 
do  object,  and  should  object,  to  its  being  made  to  look 
like  butter  and  sold  for  butter.  Millions  of  pounds  are 
now  being  so  made  and  sold  each  year.  Oleomargarine 
makers  do  not  color  their  product  to  make  it  taste  bet¬ 
ter  nor  to  increase  its  food  value,  but  rather  that  it  may 
go  on  the  market  masked  under  the  characteristics  of 
butter,  and  sold  under  a  filched  reputation.  Farmers 
and  consumers  the  country  over  should  demand  of 
Congress  the  enactment  of  a  law  preventing  the  color¬ 
ing  of  oleomargarine  in  imitation  of  yellow  butter. 


79 


By-Laws  of  Testing  Associations 


ARTICLE  I 

The  name  of  this  association  shall  be  the  -  cow  test¬ 

ing  association. 


ARTICLE  II 

The  purpose  for  which  it  is  formed  is  generally  to  promote 
the  dairy  interests  of  its  members  and  particularly  to  provide 
means  and  methods  of  improving  the  dairy  qualities  of  cows 
and  for  the  testing  of  cows  of  the  members  not  less  than  once 
a  month. 


ARTICLE  III 

Its  principal  place  of  business  shall  be  at - , - . 

ARTICLE  IV 

Section  1.  The  board  of  directors  shall  consist  of  seven 
members,  of  whom  a  majority  shall  constitute  a  quorum.  They 
shall  be  elected  annually  to  hold  office  for  one  year  and  until 
the  election  of  their  successors,  the  first  election  to  be  held 

on  the - day  of  - ,  19 — ,  and  subsequent  elections  to 

be  held  on  the - day  of - in  each  year,  except  when 

such  day  falls  on  Sunday,  in  which  case  the  election  shall  be 
held  on  the  Monday  following. 

Sec.  2.  The  board  of  directors  shall  have  the  management 
and  control  of  the  business  of  the  association,  shall  employ 
such  agents  and  employees  as  they  deem  advisable,  and  shall 
fix  the  rates  of  compensation  of  all  officers,  agents  and  em¬ 
ployees. 

Sec.  3.  Vacancies  in  the  board  of  directors,  or  officers,  may 
be  filled  by  a  majority  vote  of  the  remaining  members  of  the 
board.  The  person  so  elected  shall  serve  for  the  remainder 
of  the  unexpired  term. 


ARTICLE  V 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  members  of  this  association 
shall  be  held  on  the  date  above  fixed  for  the  election  of  direc¬ 
tors  in - , - ,  at  a  place  to  be  designated  by  the  board 

of  directors. 


80 


BY-LAWS  OF  TESTING  ASSOCIATIONS 


81 


Special  meetings  of  the  members  may  be  called  by  the 
president  or  by  the  board  of  directors.  Notice  of  all  meetings 
of  the  members  of  the  association,  whether  annual  or  special, 
should  be  given  to  the  members  by  the  secretary,  or  by  mail¬ 
ing  to  each  member  a  written  or  printed  notice  thereof,  at 
least  five  days  prior  to  the  date  of  said  meeting. 

ARTICLE  VI 

The  board  of  directors  shall  meet  on  the - day  of  each 

month,  unless  there  shall  be  a  resolution  to  determine  upon 
a  different  date.  Notice  of  such  meeting  shall  be  given  by 
the  secretary  by  mailing  to  each  director  a  written  or  printed 
notice  thereof,  at  least  three  days  before  date  of  said  meeting. 

ARTICLE  VII 

Section  1.  The  officers  of  the  association  shall  consist  of 
a  president,  vice-president,  and  secretary-treasurer,  who  shall 
have  the  usual  powers  and  perform  the  customary  duties  in¬ 
cident  to  these  offices.  The  office  of  secretary-treasurer  shall 
be  held  by  one  person  who,  besides  performing  the  usual  duties 
appertaining  to  the  offices  of  secretary  and  treasurer,  shall 
keep  in  a  permanent  form,  subject  to  the  direction  of  the  board 
of  directors,  the  cow-testing  records  of  members  of  the  asso¬ 
ciation,  and  who  shall  be  authorized  to  receive  all  moneys  due 
the  association  and  to  pay  any  indebtedness  of  the  association, 
and  in  general  to  transact  all  routine  and  other  business  of 
the  association  subject  to  the  direction  of  the  board  of  direc¬ 
tors. 

Sec.  2.  The  officers  shall  be  elected  by  the  board  of  direc¬ 
tors  from  among  their  number,  the  election  to  be  held  imme¬ 
diately  subsequent  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the  members. 

ARTICLE  VIII 

Election  of  officers  shall  be  by  ballot,  each  member  being 
entitled  to  cast  only  one  vote  for  each  of  the  seven  directors 
to  be  elected ;  provided,  however,  that  each  member  making 
payment  to  the  association  of  testing  charges  on  more  than 
20  cows  shall  be  entitled  to  an  additional  vote  (for  the  full 
number  of  directors  to  be  elected)  for  each  additional  20  cows 
so  paid  for  by  him.  Any  member  unable  to  be  present  at  any 
meeting  of  the  association  may  be  represented  by  anyone 
interested  in  the  management  of  the  dairy  of  the  member. 

ARTICLE  IX 

Any  dairyman  entering  into  an  agreement  with  the  officers 
of  the  association  binding  him  to  pay  the  testing  charges  for 


82 


MAKING  THE  DAIRY  PAY 


one  year  on  the  cows  owned  by  him  shall,  subject  to  the  ap¬ 
proval  of  the  board  of  directors,  be  considered  a  member  of 
the  association.  Failure  to  make  any  payments  agreed  on  as 
testing  charges  shall  make  a  delinquent  member  liable  to 
suspension,  which  may  be  imposed  by  the  board  of  directors 
in  such  case  at  their  option. 

ARTICLE  X 

These  by-laws  may  be  amended,  added  to  or  altered,  by  a 
majority  vote  of  all  members  present  at  the  annual  meeting  or 
at  a  special  meeting  called  for  the  purpose,  each  member  in 
such  case  being  entitled  to  one  vote  only. 

Testing  Outfit  Ordered  by  the  Stanislaus  (Cal.)  Cow- 
Testing  Association 


1  24-bottle  Twentieth  Century  tester,  $23.40 

6  dozen  6-inch  10  per  cent,  bottles  at  $1.50,  9.00 

2  dozen  17.6  c.  c.  pipettes  at  $1.50,  3.00 

y2  dozen  17.5  acid  measure,  .60 

y2  dozen  O.  B.  skim  milk  bottles,  2.80 

2  pair  dividers,  .45 

1  dozen  milk  test  bottle  brushes,  .30 

1  60-pound  automatic  scale,  5.00 

1  piece  galvanized  iron  with  holes  for  utility  bath,  .50 

1  carboy  clear  acid,  about  3.50 

1  utility  bath,  24  6-inch  bottles,  1.35 

8  dozen  2-oz.  aluminum  screw-top  sample  bottles,  3.00 

y2  dozen  brushes  for  same,  .60 

3  feet  3-16-inch  tubing,  pinch  cock,  and  pipette,  .50 

1  oil  stove,  2.00 

1  copper  kettle  with  nipple  and  tubing  attachment,  2.15 

2  glass  stopper  bottles  for  acid,  .50 

1  coal  oil  can,  .25 


Total,  $58.90 


(The  last  four  items  were  bought  at  local  store.) 

Contract  for  Cow-Testing  Association 

The  following  contract  is  used  by  a  successful  cow-testing 
association  in  California: 

We,  the  undersigned  dairymen,  in  consideration  of  the 
periodical  (one  day  each  month)  testing  of  our  cows  during 

the  season  of  -  by - ,  Secretary-Treasurer  of  the 

-  cow  testing  association,  hereby  agree  to  pay  the  said 

- ,  the  sum  of  one  and  one-half  ($1.50)  dollars  for  every 

cow  so  tested  for  us.  We  hereby  agree  to  pay  this  sum  per 


BY-LAWS  OF  TESTING  ASSOCIATIONS 


83 


cow  in  three  installments  in  advance — 75  cents  per  cow,  March 
1;  50  cents  per  cow  June  1;  and  25  cents  per  cow  September  1. 

We  further  agree  that  we  will  pay  the  first  installment  of 
75  cents  when  due  on  the  number  of  cows  set  opposite  our 
names;  and  the  50-cent  and  25-cent  installments  when  due 
upon  the  number  of  cows  set  opposite  our  names  and  upon 
all  other  cows  tested  in  like  proportion.  It  is  understood  that 
each  member  may  be  allowed  to  replace  not  to  exceed  one- 
fifth  of  the  orignal  number  of  cows  entered. 

We  further  agree  to  provide  suitable  board  and  lodging 
for  the  agent  of  the  association,  and  feed  and  stable  for  his 
horse,  when  said  agent  is  actually  engaged  in  testing  our  cows, 
including  Sundays  and  holidays. 

It  is  understood  that  this  contract  is  not  binding  unless 
700  cows  have  been  entered  by - ,  19 — . 


Dated  [  Signature  |  Number  of  Cows  [  Amount 


Index 


Page 

Alfalfa,  how  to  grow  It . 71-72 

wonderful  dairy  feed .  51 

Balanced  ration .  45 

Balancing  a  ration . 47-49 

Barns,  bank  or  basement  .  65 

essential  for  dairy  . 65-66 

floors  for  . 68-70 

light  for  . 66-67 

ventilation  a  necessity . 67-63 

warmth  of  .  58 

Barnyard,  covered  .  59 

covered  and  inclosed  .  70 

Breed,  choice  of,  for  daily .  12 

Breeds,  leading  dairy  .  12 

Breed  tests  of  production  .  19 

Brewers’  grains  .  51 

Bull,  age  for  use  in  breeding .  15 

indications  of  merit  .  14 

selecting  for  dairy  improve¬ 
ment  . 14-15 

Butter,  comparative  cost  of  pro¬ 
duction  .  6 

Cement  floor  for  barn  .  70 

Comparative  profits,  dairy  versus 

non-dairy  type .  17 

Cottonseed  meal  .  51 

Cottonseed  meal,  relative  value  of  52 
Cow,  how  to  keep  from  kicking.  .  .  61 

testing  associations . 30-32 

testing  association,  by-laws  for  SO-83 
testing  association,  results  se¬ 
cured  .  21 

Cows,  comparisons  of  dairy  per¬ 
formances  . 20-21 

good  dairy .  18 

keep  fewer  and  better .  23 

which  ones  pay  . 23-25 

Cross  breeding,  poor  results  of...  13 

Dairy,  builds  soils  .  5 

cattle,  conformation  of  .  32 

census  results  .  11 

cow,  development  of  .  40 

cow,  economical  producer  of 

food  . 5-6 

cow,  length  of  service  .  7 

cow,  points  of . 33-34 

cows,  40%  unprofitable .  22 

farm  crops . 71-73 

feeds,  buying  by  analysis  . 52 

herd,  care  of . 57-62 

increases  farm  fertility .  8 

insures  steady  cash  income .  7 

products  should  be  clean  ....77-78 

profit,  essential  factors  of .  10 

type  . 33-34 

type,  profit  in  . 16-17 


Dairying  always  paid  author .  7 

how  author  learned  it  . 1-2 

comparative  profits  of .  11 

involves  least  risk  .  6 

outlook  favorable  .  79 

summer  versus  winter  .  63 

versus  cow  keeping  .  10 

Farm  labor  problems  .  9 

Feed,  necessity  for  succulence  ...  53 

weighing .  25 

Feeding,  cleanliness  essential  ....  54 

for  dairy  profit  . 40-41 

for  normal  production .  42 

for  profit  .  35 

in  summer  . 54-56 

maintenance  ration .  36 

ration  balanced  . 45-47 

ration,  proportion  grain  to 

roughage . 50-51 

standard,  German .  49 

standard,  Haecker’s  .  50 

table,  Henry’s  .  48 

too  heavily . 41-42 

when  to  feed  .  53 

Feeds,  digestible  nutrients  in  ....  48 

for  summer  use  .  55 

home  grown  . 48-49 

necessity  for  variety  .  43 

what  kind  needed . 36 

Freshening,  most  favorable  season 

for .  63 

German  feeding  standard .  49 

Gluten  meal .  51 

feed .  51 

Haecker’s  feeding  standard  . 50 

Henry’s  feeding  table .  48 

Legumes  supply  nitrogen  .  5 

Linseed  meal . . .  51 

Middlings  .  51 

Milk  fever  . 56 

record  .  26 

scales  .  25 

testing  . 28-29 

weighing .  27 

Milking,  best  methods  of  . 60-61 

regularity  pays  in  .  62 

Nitrogen,  securing  it  from  legumes  5 

Oleomargarine,  unfair  dairy  com¬ 
petitor  .  79 

Palatability  necessary  in  feeds....  43 

Palatable  feed,  how  to  secure  it. .  44 

Protein  for  milk  production .  46 

Ration,  how  to  balance  .  47 

Rations,  wide  and  narrow .  49 

Silage,  corn  best  crop  for .  48 

Silo,  advantages  of  .  75 

Ventilation,  King  system . 68 


84 


